Save the Children Reports ‘Persistent Psychological Trauma’ Among Gaza’s Children After Five Months of Conflict.

Conflict and Humanitarian Emergency

Israeli Forces Allegedly Target Palestinians at Kuwait Roundabout, South of Gaza City, Killing Seven During Aid Distribution, Reports Wafa News Agency.

Israel’s military reported on Monday that it was investigating whether an airstrike in Gaza had targeted and killed Hamas deputy military leader. This development occurred amid diminishing hopes for a ceasefire coinciding with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Should his death be verified, Marwan Issa would become the most senior figure from the organization to be killed by Israel during the five-month-long conflict, which has devastated the besieged enclave, resulting in the deaths of over 31,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.

The ongoing conflict for over five months has precipitated a dire humanitarian emergency, resulting in instances of children succumbing to starvation and dehydration due to malnutrition. Israel’s restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza have exacerbated the situation.

A report published by Save the Children on Tuesday highlights that the combination of five months of conflict and over fifteen years of blockade has inflicted continuous psychological trauma on children in Gaza.

The Open Arms charity ship has departed from Cyprus bound for Gaza, loaded with nearly 200 tonnes of food. This endeavor, a pilot project aimed at establishing sea routes for delivering aid to Gaza’s famine-stricken populace, is coordinated by the US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) and financially supported by the UAE.

Tensions in the region

Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military has verified that the Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles targeting a vessel named “Pinocchio,” which is owned by Singapore and registered under the Liberian flag.

During a session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York on Monday, Palestinian Minister of Women’s Affairs Amal Hamad urged women worldwide to show solidarity with Palestinian women.

In the meantime, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, accusing him of displaying a troubling bias against Israeli victims of sexual assault.

On Monday, Tariq Ahmad, the UK Minister of State overseeing relations with the Middle East, North Africa, and the UN, called on Israel to permit unrestricted access to Jerusalem’s holy sites during Ramadan.

US President Joe Biden also stated that he currently has no plans to address the Israeli parliament, contrary to earlier reports by some media.

Conflict in the West Bank under Israeli occupation

On Monday, a significant public march took place in the town of Arraba, located south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, in reaction to the death of Palestinian man Muhammad Jaber.

Israeli forces fatally shot Muhammad Jaber, a resident of Arraba, alongside another Palestinian man in a shooting incident north of Tulkarem. The Israeli forces asserted that Jaber was armed and intended to carry out an attack.

The Israeli military reportedly shot and killed two Palestinian men near the town of Attil, north of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, as per the Wafa news agency’s report on Tuesday. Since October 7, over 400 Palestinians have lost their lives in the occupied West Bank due to Israeli forces, following Israel’s military offensive in Gaza triggered by a deadly attack led by Hamas.