Israeli army says ‘intensifying combat operations’
Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, was in Gaza today as Israel continued its deadly bombardment of the enclave.
According to a readout of the visit, Zamir said the army is “intensifying combat operations” in the Strip after it began mobilising reservists earlier this week. Zamir’s comments come amid reports of a purported rift between the army chief and Netanyahu over the plan to seize Gaza City.
Last month, Zamir warned that Netanyahu’s push to fully reoccupy Gaza would plunge the country into a “black hole”, Israeli news outlets reported.
Famine remains ‘very scary’ reality in Gaza City
It’s misleading now to see some of the headlines talking about products and items being allowed into the Gaza Strip.
A brief walk on the streets shows there is a complete absence of protein sources, an absence of fresh produce. It took us half a day, just a couple of days ago, to find 1kg [2.2lb] of tomatoes, and what we found was very old, not fresh, and very, very expensive.
A pickup truck filled with Nutella jars – this is not addressing the spread of famine.
On the ground, we’re seeing more people going hungry. People are still rationing supplies. Families and mothers are eating one meal a day to provide for their children.
And inside the hospitals, the number of people suffering from acute malnutrition because of the enforced starvation is on the rise.
UN warns of surge in forced displacement as Israel attacks Gaza City
A spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that more than 82,000 new cases of forced displacement were recorded in Gaza between August 14 and 31, including 30,000 people forced from north to south.
“Our partners describe conditions at these displacement sites – as you can imagine – as deplorable and overcrowded with debris and waste accumulating near or in living areas,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York City.
“High temperatures have also intensified these unsanitary conditions, leading to widespread rodent and insect infestation,” Dujarric said.
“As a result, there are mounting health risks with children developing skin rashes.”
Day’s death toll in Gaza surpasses 70
At least 73 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn. Among the dead are 43 people in Gaza City alone, hospital sources say.
Sixteen people seeking food at distribution sites died in southern Gaza.
