Siege killing more people in Gaza than Israeli strikes, says UNRWA

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - More people are dying due to the siege of Gaza than are being killed by Israeli bombardment, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Thursday.

"This is a man-made disaster. People dying from bombs and strikes — even more now dying from consequences of siege imposed on the Gaza Strip," UNRWA said in a statement after the death toll from Israeli strikes exceeded 30,000 earlier in the day, while over 70,000 have been injured.

The UN agency lamented the continued lack of a cease-fire to halt Israeli air and ground attacks in the Palestinian enclave despite repeated calls.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.