On March 29, 2024, a tragic incident unfolded in Gaza City when an Israeli strike targeted a sports center. The attack resulted in the loss of at least 15 lives, and numerous injuries were reported in the bombing of the Saad bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp. The situation in Gaza remains dire, with vehicles delivering aid repeatedly targeted in Israeli attacks as famine sets in in the battered Gaza Strip.
Belgium’s Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy, Caroline Gennez, has called for international pressure on Israel, urging it to “stop starving civilians and children.” The toll of Palestinian lives lost in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 stands at 32,623, with 75,092 wounded. Meanwhile, in Israel, the death toll from Hamas’s October 7 attack remains at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
In another tragic incident, Yusuf Ghaben, a father of nine from Beit Lahia, drowned while attempting to retrieve humanitarian relief airdropped into the sea off Gaza’s northwestern coast. His widow, Khitab, shared that he insisted on going because he had nothing left and was desperate to bring food to his family.
Additionally, Israeli forces have intensified raids in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began. More than 7,800 people have been detained during this period. Amidst the darkness, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) remains a crucial lifeline for Palestinians in need. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the importance of preserving UNRWA, calling it the “backbone of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.”
