Middle East conflict live updates: Hunger in Gaza causing ‘mass killing of children in slow motion,’ NGO says

Humanitarian groups are sounding the alarm over increasingly disastrous hunger levels in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been on the brink of famine for weeks as aid trucks struggle to pass Israeli-imposed border inspections or travel amid intense fighting.

“What we’re witnessing in Gaza right now is the mass killing of children in slow motion,” Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy and advocacy at Save the Children International, said in an interview aired on Al Jazeera English. “There is almost no food left, and nothing is getting to them. And children are being starved while trucks of food are literally sitting just a few miles away, waiting to get in. And we know this is happening largely because of Israeli bombardment and restrictions.”

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Negotiations for a cease-fire and a release of hostages continue, but Israel and Hamas have downplayed progress on a potential deal, while President Biden has expressed hope that a weeks-long cessation of fighting could start as soon as next week.
The head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, said Wednesday that the militant group has shown “flexibility” and “willingness” in the negotiations so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously accused Hamas of making “delusional demands,” and he said Tuesday that Israel would ultimately continue its campaign in Gaza “until total victory.”
At least 29,954 people have been killed in Gaza and 70,325 injured since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 242 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Negotiations for a cease-fire and a release of hostages continue, but Israel and Hamas have downplayed progress on a potential deal, while President Biden has expressed hope that a weeks-long cessation of fighting could start as soon as next week.
The head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, said Wednesday that the militant group has shown “flexibility” and “willingness” in the negotiations so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously accused Hamas of making “delusional demands,” and he said Tuesday that Israel would ultimately continue its campaign in Gaza “until total victory.”
At least 29,954 people have been killed in Gaza and 70,325 injured since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 242 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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