TEHRAN — An increasing number of Palestinians are dying as a result of Israel’s blockade and relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, even as international pressure grows to end the nearly two-year conflict.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported on Monday that 60 people were killed and over 340 injured in the past 24 hours alone due to ongoing Israeli attacks. The ministry added since Israel launched war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the overall death toll has risen to 62,004, with more than 156,000 people wounded.

Palestinian medical sources say over 260 Palestinians—including more than 110 children—have died in Gaza as a result of a man-made famine and starvation campaign. Israel’s tightened blockade has pushed the enclave to the brink of widespread starvation. 

In late May, amid growing international criticism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — an aid initiative backed by the United States and Israel — was launched. However, the Palestinian Health Ministry reports that nearly 2,000 people have been killed attempting to access aid since GHF sites were established, with Israeli forces opening fire on Palestinians seeking food.

Amnesty International condemned Israel on Monday for “carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip.”

The rights group stated: “It is the intended outcome of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented, over the past 22 months, to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – which is part and parcel of Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” 

Despite the mounting casualties, Israel continues its military campaign, seeking to seize Gaza City. Israeli media reported that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced plans to “evacuate” residents within two months ahead of an expanded military operation. Reports indicate Israel is in discussions with countries including Indonesia, Somaliland, Uganda, South Sudan, and Libya about taking in displaced Palestinians—a move critics say echoes the ethnic cleansing of the 1948 Nakba.

The escalation has sparked global protests. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis staged strikes and demonstrations calling for an end to the war, warning that continued attacks on Gaza City could endanger the lives of captives held there. Similar protests have erupted in cities worldwide, demanding an end to Israel’s military operations and the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.

As the world witnesses Gaza’s suffering, the international community must hold Israel accountable for its policies that deliberately target Palestinians. The ongoing blockade, attacks on civilians, and use of starvation as a weapon are not mere collateral damage—they are calculated measures of oppression and ethnic cleansing. Justice for Gaza requires ending the occupation, lifting the siege, and defending the fundamental human rights of Palestinians before more lives are lost.