Israel's "Surrender or Starve" Strategy Intensifies Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza, Says Washington Post
A report by The Washington Post on Monday highlights the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in northern Gaza as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalate their military operations in the region. The report details a grim strategy allegedly being employed by "Israel," described as a "surrender or starve" approach, which has drawn widespread international condemnation.
The IOF has surrounded the Jabalia refugee camp, ordering around 400,000 residents in northern Gaza to evacuate south, pushing them into already overcrowded and bombarded areas. Despite these orders, airstrikes continue to pound civilian targets, including refugee camps, according to the report.
Humanitarian workers describe the situation as dire. Fares Afana, head of ambulance services in northern Gaza, told The Washington Post, “It is like hell, to be honest.”
Additionally, the report mentions a controversial plan proposed by retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, suggesting the evacuation of northern Gaza and labeling anyone who remains as a military target. While Israeli officials have not officially confirmed this strategy, parts of it appear to be in effect.
Aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders have raised alarms over the situation in Jabalia camp, where thousands of Palestinians are trapped without food or shelter, facing continued IOF attacks.
The report also warns of broader regional implications, with escalations between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Resistance, and retaliatory strikes by Iran on Israeli targets further complicating the situation.
Day 374 of Gaza Crisis: Rising Death Toll
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 42,289, with 98,684 injuries. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many bodies remain buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
On Monday, dozens of Palestinians were killed and more wounded as Israeli forces bombed locations across northern and southern Gaza. A supply center in Jabalia camp was targeted, killing eight people and injuring over 80. Further, 13 people were injured in an Israeli drone attack on displaced civilians at a school in Jabalia, according to reports from the WAFA news agency.
Eyewitnesses report bodies scattered around the targeted areas, while ambulances struggle to reach the wounded due to continued Israeli attacks. In southern Gaza, four bodies were recovered from near the al-Rahma Mosque in Rafah and transferred to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
As the humanitarian crisis worsens, calls for international intervention continue to go unanswered, while the prospect of a ceasefire appears increasingly distant.