Chaos at aid hubs as 2m Gazans facing famine

ISRAELI airstrikes killed at least 14 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said on Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial cool response.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTERS

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy had expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement that could halt the Israel-Hamas war, allow more aid into Gaza and return more of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, around a third of whom are alive.

Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza - slightly eased in recent days - has pushed the population of roughly two million Palestinians to the brink of famine.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 dead.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said Friday it distributed more than two million of what it described as meals within four days of starting operations.