(Dan Tri) – Palestinians began fasting during the holy month of Ramadan on March 11, but ceasefire negotiations are still deadlocked, and hunger is getting worse across the Gaza Strip.
Smoke billowed in the Khan Younis area, southern Gaza Strip after Israel’s attack on March 11 (Photo: AFP).
The five-month war between Israel and Hamas shows no signs of abating as Tel Aviv continues to launch fierce air strikes against the Gaza Strip.
Prayers were held outside the rubble of destroyed buildings late on March 10.
But there is little to celebrate after five months of war that has left more than 30,000 Palestinians dead and reduced much of Gaza to rubble.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt had hoped to reach a ceasefire before the Palestinians’ usually joyous dawn-to-dusk fasting month.
Hamas is demanding guarantees that any such agreement will include a cessation of hostilities while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas releases all remaining hostages and
Fighting in Gaza has seriously affected about 80% of the population in this strip of land, forcing 2.3 million people to leave their homes and pushing hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
Health officials say at least 20 people, most of them children, have died of malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel announced it would expand its offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where half of Gaza’s population is seeking refuge but does not know where to go to escape the onslaught.
US President Joe Biden once stated that attacking Rafah would be a `red line` for him, but Washington will continue to provide military aid to Tel Aviv.
`As Muslims gather around the world in the coming days and weeks to fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be on many people’s minds. That’s what comes to mind first,` the leader said.
The United States and other countries have begun airdrops of aid in recent days, but humanitarian groups say such efforts are both costly and insufficient and less effective.
The US military has also begun shipping equipment to build a sea bridge to deliver aid, but it may be several weeks before it becomes operational.
