In Pictures
Six months into ‘ceasefire’, Gaza suffers under persistent Israeli attacks
Gaza’s devastation grows as more than 72,000 people killed and 172,000 injured amid Israeli violations of US-brokered truce.
Since the Gaza “ceasefire” began six months ago, Israeli attacks have killed at least 738 people and injured more than 2,000, according to Palestine’s Ministry of Health.
Gaza faces unprecedented devastation, with more than 10 percent of its population killed or injured.
The death toll has surpassed 72,000 people, mostly children and women, with at least 172,000 injured and many others believed to be trapped under rubble.
Since the United States-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, Israel has violated the agreement thousands of times through near-daily attacks.
Following Israeli and United States attacks on Iran from February 28, Israeli authorities shut down all Gaza crossings, halting medical evacuations. This closure included the Rafah crossing, which, under the terms of the ceasefire, was supposed to allow 50 patients and their companions daily passage for medical treatment.
Healthcare has reached a crisis point, with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documenting more than 18,500 patients, including 4,000 children, needing medical evacuation. Despite Israel announcing limited resumption of medical evacuations through Rafah on March 19, only 625 of 7,800 travellers – approximately 8 percent of the agreed number – have been permitted to leave for treatment since February 28.
The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as Israel restricts essential food and medical supplies. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global hunger monitor, 77 percent of Gaza’s population now experiences severe acute food insecurity.
Gaza’s Government Media Office recently disputed claims on X by Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov that 602 aid trucks entered Gaza in one day. The office clarified that only 207 trucks actually entered, with just 79 carrying humanitarian assistance.
The office added that the aid making its way in “does not meet the level of humanitarian response required” and falls significantly short of “scaled access”.
The statement noted that Israel’s implementation of the humanitarian protocol under the ceasefire agreement has not exceeded 38 percent of agreed-upon levels, asserting that “distorting the facts cannot conceal the scale of the catastrophe, nor does it absolve any party of its legal and humanitarian responsibilities”. The office called for international intervention to protect Palestinian civilians.
