WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT – Harrowing images from inside Gaza show children fleeing the sites of Israeli airstrikes, toddlers huddling with their families in makeshift shelters, and relatives mourning over the bodies of loved ones
Heartbreaking images lay bare the shocking scale of destruction in Gaza as plans were today approved by Israel to invade and occupy the territory.
Children can be seen running from the sites of Israeli airstrikes, toddlers huddling with their families in makeshift shelters, and relatives mourning over the bodies of loved ones. Flattened homes and buildings stretch across the devastated landscape, while parachutes carrying scarce aid float down over the territory.
Israel’s plan to occupy the city has sparked international outrage and condemnation from leaders warning of devastating humanitarian consequences. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the move. “This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians” and Israeli captives in Gaza, his office said in a statement, adding further escalation will lead to “additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction”.
More than 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, including over 18,000 children, with another 151,000 civillians injured. 50 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza “with those still alive held in unthinkably inhumane and appalling conditions,” Ramesh Rajasingham, Head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said.
At least 266 people have starved to death in the region following an almost three-month long aid blockade imposed by Israel. Parachuted aid deliveries were later allowed into the strip, despite repeated warnings they were dangerous, ineffective and far from meeting Gaza’s desperate need for food, baby formula and medical supplies.