News - Middle East: Almasirah correspondent in Gaza, Duaa Rouqa, reported on the deteriorating humanitarian, medical, and field situation in the Gaza Strip, alongside the ongoing Zionist military operations.

Rouqa stated on Friday morning that the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, has been under continuous ground assault by Zionist forces for more than four days, with relentless explosions and artillery fire. Israeli enemy forces continue advancing in the area, causing extensive destruction to infrastructure, residential buildings, and other structures.

She noted that many victims remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes, while Palestinian families are besieged in the neighborhood, unable to escape due to the intensity of the fire. Rouqa compared the situation to the events in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood a month ago, where Israeli forces penetrated and destroyed the remaining homes; the withdrawal from Al-Shujaiya was not complete but a repositioning, revealing the scale of the destruction left behind.

Rouqa added that the destruction extends across large areas of the Gaza Strip. In addition to Al-Zaytoun, Rafah has been entirely devastated, and northern areas such as Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Al-Atatra, and Jabalia Camp have also been hit.

She pointed out that military operations have targeted displaced persons’ tents and densely populated residential areas, including central camps like Al-Bureij, Al-Nuseirat, and Deir Al-Balah. The Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, classified as a “humanitarian zone,” continues to be attacked daily, demonstrating that it is far from safe as claimed.

Rouqa emphasized that humanitarian conditions are worsening daily, despite Israeli claims of delivering large amounts of aid. The daily aid deliveries remain minimal—between 50 and 90 trucks—which are insufficient to meet the basic needs of residents who have endured over five months of deliberate starvation. These conditions have contributed to an increase in deaths from famine and malnutrition, with five deaths reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total fatalities from hunger to 238, including 109 children.

She added that Gaza’s healthcare system is in complete collapse. Although small amounts of medical supplies have recently entered, they are barely enough to support a single hospital, such as Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis. The severe shortage leaves medical staff unable to provide necessary care for the injured and wounded amid ongoing bombardment and crimes against civilians.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels as aid convoys face repeated denials of entry, leaving life-saving supplies stranded in neighboring countries. Despite warehouses in Jordan and Egypt holding millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter equipment, bureaucratic and political obstacles have blocked their delivery to those in urgent need.

Since October 2023, the Israeli military campaign has devastated Gaza’s population, killing tens of thousands—predominantly women and children—and injuring many more. Starvation has emerged as a deliberate weapon of war, with aid restrictions and the destruction of agricultural and water infrastructure pushing civilians to the brink.

Malnutrition and famine are claiming more lives each day, particularly among children, as hospitals and humanitarian agencies struggle with severe shortages of medicine, food, and clean water. With aid trucks stranded at borders and the siege unrelenting, the crisis deepens, leaving the international community facing urgent calls to act before even more preventable deaths occur.