Palestinians in Gaza begin Ramadan amid worsening hunger

With no end to fighting in sight, Palestinians in Gaza began fasting on Monday for the holy month of Ramadan as hunger worsens across the strip and pressure mounts on Israel over the growing humanitarian crisis.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt hoped to broker a ceasefire ahead of the normally joyous month of fasting that would include the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, in addition to the entry of a large amount of humanitarian aid.

These talks stalled last week though.

Gaza’s health ministry said the bodies of 67 people killed by Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the Palestinian death toll to over 31,000 since the war began five months ago.

Prayers were held late Sunday outside the rubble of demolished buildings.

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Families would ordinarily break the daily fast with holiday feasts, but even in those parts of Gaza where food is available, there is little beyond canned goods and the prices remain too high for many to afford.

On Sunday, the U.S. and Jordan conducted another joint airdrop of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza.

Jordan’s Queen has led calls for more action, saying air dropping aid isn’t enough, calling it Israel’s deliberate effort to deprive those in need.

“I have to emphasize that the need is much greater than what we’re able to provide. As it stands today, there are trucks, there are tonnes of food in trucks, that are miles away from people who are starving. This is, hunger is not a natural disaster, this is a man-made, an Israeli-made disaster. It is deprivation by design.” Rania Al Abdullah, the Queen of Jordan, told the media.

The war has forced around 80 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes and pushed many to the brink of famine. This as Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 people captive.