The Hamas-run health ministry said more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war with Israel nearly five months ago.
While mediators say a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas could be reached in just a few days, aid agencies have warned of an imminent famine in northern Gaza.
Children have died "due to malnutrition, dehydration and widespread starvation" at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, according to the health ministry, whose spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra called for "immediate action" by international organisations to prevent more such deaths, AFP reported.
Citing deteriorating conditions in Gaza, US Agency for International Development (USAID) head Samantha Power said Israel must open more crossings so that "vital humanitarian assistance can be dramatically increased."
"This is a matter of life and death," Power said in a video posted on X.
The latest Palestinian war death toll total came after at least 79 people died overnight in the war-torn Gaza Strip, the health ministry said on Thursday. / BGNES
