21 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as new virus spreads
Shafaq News – Gaza
At least 21 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip since dawn on Friday amid worsening famine and collapsing health conditions.
According to Palestinian media, among the victims was a man killed while waiting for food aid in central Gaza, a mother and her child in Bureij refugee camp, four people in a tent sheltering displaced families in al-Sudaniya in the north, and three others in Deir al-Balah.
The Health Ministry confirmed that Israel’s military campaign since October 7, 2023, has killed 62,966 Palestinians and injured 159,266. The figures include at least 2,000 deaths in incidents linked to the search for food and more than 16,000 injuries, with famine and malnutrition responsible for 317 fatalities, including 121 children.
Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmia, director of al-Shifa Medical Complex, warned of a new virus in Gaza marked by fever, joint pain, runny nose, cough, and prolonged diarrhea. He explained that hospitals lack the diagnostic capacity to identify the virus and linked its spread to malnutrition, the absence of clean water and hygiene supplies, and severe overcrowding in displacement camps, adding further pressure to an already shattered health system where bed occupancy has reached 300 percent of capacity.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) described the situation as catastrophic. “No safe shelter. Limited water, food and medicine. Famine declared. Suffering growing worse each day. We have the supplies,” it wrote on X, calling for aid deliveries to be allowed and an end to the hostilities.
#Gaza cannot wait.No safe shelter. Limited water, food and medicine. Famine declared. Suffering growing worse each day. We have the supplies. All we need is access.Let aid in. End the hostilities. pic.twitter.com/SDBCPxHpHq
— Amy Pope (@IOMchief) August 28, 2025
Meanwhile, UNRWA warned that Gaza’s population “is living in abject fear, abject cruelty, abject humiliation.” The agency emphasized that nearly two years into the war, civilians are still being killed or dying from preventable causes such as “man-made famine,” urging an immediate end to impunity.
The population in #Gaza “is living in abject fear, abject cruelty, abject humiliation” our Sam Rose tells @APAfter nearly two years of war, civilians continue to be killed or die from preventable causes like the man-made famine.The impunity must stop. #CeasefireNow…
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 28, 2025
