Gaza starvation toll hits 180
Shafaq News – Gaza (Updated at 15:16)
Five more Palestinians have died from starvation in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Monday, raising the official toll to 180—including 93 children—since the start of Israel’s military campaign.
The ministry also reported a surge in Guillain-Barré syndrome and acute flaccid paralysis among children, linking the illnesses to widespread malnutrition and emerging intestinal viruses, with three confirmed fatalities, including two children under 15.
Medical teams have detected non-polio viruses and warned of conditions ripe for an uncontrolled outbreak, blaming the escalating health crisis on severe shortages of medicine caused by the blockade while calling for immediate international intervention.
“These are not just deaths… they are a warning of a real, potential infectious catastrophe,” the ministry asserted.
Separately, 34 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire since dawn, according to the Palestinian Information Center, which reported that at least 17 were struck while attempting to access humanitarian aid.
Gaza’s Health Ministry now places the total death toll from the 22-month conflict at 60,199.
لحظات مرعبه.. قوات الاحتلال تطلق النار بشكل مكثف تجاه المجوعين الباحثين عن الطحين ولقمة العيش قرب أحد مراكز المساعدات الأمريكية بغزة. pic.twitter.com/AbhX4Gbevy
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 4, 2025
In Washington, US President Donald Trump rejected labeling Israel’s campaign as genocide, characterizing the conflict as a war triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks and acknowledging that “horrible things happened” without directly criticizing Israeli conduct.
Pressed on the humanitarian crisis, Trump insisted the US is pushing for food aid delivery, stating, “We want the people fed. We want Israel to get them fed. We don’t want people going hungry, and we don’t want people to starve.”
مأساة متفاقمة في رحلة البحث عن القليل من الطعام لإشباع الجوع. #غزة_تقتل_جوعا لمشاهدة الفيديو :https://t.co/7EhnNqviMC pic.twitter.com/foOzseiKwG
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 4, 2025
On Capitol Hill, over a dozen House Democrats signed a letter urging the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state, with one lawmaker preparing to introduce a pro-statehood resolution, according to the US-based news outlet Axios.
“This tragic moment has highlighted for the world the long overdue need to recognize Palestinian self-determination,” the letter states, referencing French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to formally recognize Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly—an announcement publicly criticized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The lawmakers encouraged other countries—particularly the US—to follow the lead of France, the UK, and Canada in recognizing Palestinian statehood.
