Israeli attacks kill four as famine risk looms in Gaza

Four Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza during the 24-hour period described. The victims included a young girl in northern Gaza. The deaths show that violence continued despite the October ceasefire, while the territory’s civilian population remained trapped among ruins and expanding military control.

The reported incidents occurred in several places. Gunfire killed the girl near Jabalia refugee camp. A strike on a vehicle in Gaza City killed one person and seriously injured another. A separate strike killed a man on a bicycle in Khan Younis. Another person later died from earlier wounds.

The article does not give a total number of injuries from that specific 24-hour period. It reports 1,538 Palestinians killed and 5,498 injured since the ceasefire began, while stating that Israel has killed more than 74,400 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.

A ceasefire is a declared or agreed halt, or pause, in fighting between opposing sides. It is meant to reduce violence and create safer conditions. A ceasefire does not automatically mean that all political disputes are settled or that every form of danger has disappeared.

In this article, “since the October ceasefire” is a time marker. Gaza’s Health Ministry uses it to count Palestinian deaths and injuries after the ceasefire took effect in October last year. The article reports 1,538 deaths and 5,498 injuries during that period.

The phrase matters because attacks and territorial expansion are described as continuing after the ceasefire. Four Palestinians were killed in the 24 hours covered, and the Israeli military was reported to be taking more land. The wording therefore highlights a gap between the ceasefire’s stated purpose and conditions on the ground.

The article reports that nearly two-thirds of Gaza is either under Israeli military control or subject to access restrictions. It also says close to two million people live in what remains of the shrinking territory. These figures describe both the scale of territorial control and the concentration of civilians in a damaged space.

The reported control is linked to continuing military expansion. Al Jazeera’s reporter said Israeli troops had taken more land since the ceasefire, moving from northern Gaza toward the centre and west. The article says people cannot return to their homes, and many buildings in controlled areas are in ruins.

This situation affects movement, shelter, and access to supplies. The remaining population is surrounded by thousands of tonnes of rubble and debris, while markets face shortages and rising prices. With so much territory restricted, humanitarian deliveries and ordinary commercial trade become harder, increasing pressure on families already living amid destruction.

A famine is an extreme food crisis affecting a population, marked by widespread lack of food and severe hunger. It can bring malnutrition, illness, and deaths. A famine risk means warning signs are developing, but the article does not say Gaza has formally reached famine conditions.

The article describes increasingly empty markets, soaring prices, and restricted supplies. Fresh fruits and vegetables were reportedly denied entry, while food assistance was cut. These facts show worsening access to food. They do not, by themselves, establish the full scale or formal threshold associated with a famine.

The risk matters because several pressures are happening together. Commercial imports and aid crossings are restricted, WFP support has been reduced, and families cannot reliably store fresh food without electricity or refrigeration. If supplies keep falling while prices rise and purchasing power weakens, more people may be unable to obtain enough food.

Commercial imports and humanitarian aid are major ways food reaches Gaza. When entry points and crossings are restricted, fewer goods arrive. Retailers then have less to sell, families compete for scarce supplies, and prices can rise. This turns a supply problem into an access problem for households.

The article gives several examples. Israeli authorities suspended commercial deliveries on October 13, then allowed some imports to resume on October 19, but shipments remained heavily restricted. Fresh fruits and vegetables were denied entry. The WFP also cut food assistance by one-third because of funding shortages, leaving about 500,000 vulnerable residents without monthly support.

The result was a sudden disappearance of vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, and bread from markets. Families searched for hours and returned with only a few loaves. Without electricity or refrigeration, they could not store fresh food. Continued restrictions and aid shortages could deepen hunger and increase famine risk.

The actors have different roles in the crisis. Israel is described as carrying out attacks, expanding military control, and restricting commercial goods and access through border crossings. Those actions affect territory, movement, and the flow of food into Gaza.

Humanitarian agencies try to reduce the effects. The World Food Programme provides food assistance, but severe funding shortages forced it to cut support by one-third. The United Nations reports that fresh food and basic staples are rapidly disappearing because of restrictions on commercial entry points and aid crossings. Rights monitors document conditions and warn about famine risk.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports deaths and injuries. It recorded 1,538 Palestinians killed and 5,498 injured since the October ceasefire, and reported the latest deaths. These figures are the ministry’s reported totals. Together, these actors shape the response, the evidence available, and the population’s access to food and safety.

Food security means people can reliably obtain enough food for their needs. It depends on more than the total amount of food available in the world or inside a territory. Food must enter safely, move through functioning routes, appear in markets, remain affordable, and be usable by households.

The Gaza examples show how each link matters. Restrictions reduce commercial imports and aid deliveries. Empty markets then push prices upward. Without electricity or working refrigeration, families cannot preserve fresh food. Even when goods appear, households may lack the money to buy them or the ability to store them.

The article describes families returning from long searches with only a few loaves of bread. It also reports shortages of vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, and bread. These connected failures make food insecurity worse. If borders, transport, power, markets, and purchasing power remain damaged, famine risk can grow even when some food still exists somewhere.