International news agencies: Our correspondents in Gaza are starving.

1. Washington - Saeed Erekat

Four of the world's largest news agencies issued a rare joint statement on Thursday, warning that their journalists in Gaza cannot feed themselves due to the US-backed Israeli blockade, while Palestinians continue to starve to death under the siege in the devastated territory.

"We are deeply concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families," said Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters, and BBC News. "For months, these freelance journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. Now they face the same difficult conditions as those they report on."

The news agencies added that journalists "suffer deprivation and hardship in war zones. We are deeply concerned that the threat of famine is now one of these risks." They urged "the Israeli authorities to allow journalists to enter and exit Gaza," and stressed "the need for adequate food supplies to reach the population there."

It is noteworthy that in addition to starvation, journalists in Gaza continue to be targeted by the Israeli occupation army. On Wednesday, Walaa al-Jabari, who worked for a local news agency, was killed along with her husband and four children. Al-Jabari was pregnant at the time of her death, and the Government Media Office in Gaza said her death brought the total number of journalists killed by Israel since October 7, 2023, to 231. The news agencies' statement came as the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the deaths of two more Palestinians from starvation in the past 24 hours. Hunger deaths have increased over the past week, with dozens, mostly children, dying from malnutrition due to Israeli-imposed restrictions and the killing of aid seekers. The Ministry of Health said it had recorded a total of 113 deaths from starvation.

Palestinians in Gaza continue to be shot at while trying to obtain food aid. Since the end of May, more than 1,000 aid seekers have been killed by the Israeli military, most of them near distribution sites run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Regarding the World Health Organization's announcement on Wednesday that 21 children under the age of five were among those who have died from malnutrition so far this year, and the calls by more than 100 organizations for lifting all restrictions on aid flows, opening all land crossings, and resuming the UN-led humanitarian response, is the United States considering any further steps to increase aid flows to Gaza? State Department Spokesperson Tommy Piggott responded on Thursday by placing the blame on Hamas for causing the current famine.

"Ultimately, our vision is to get nearly 90 million meals into Gaza during a war zone, and to be able to deliver that aid in a way that Hamas doesn't plunder. That's what we saw. We're certainly aware of that - and we certainly want to see an end to the devastation that's been done to Gaza. That's why we saw this commitment to getting aid to those who need it in a way that Hamas doesn't exploit," Pigott said.

He added, "This commitment still stands. It's a commitment from President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio. That's why we supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and we continue to support it. That's why we saw the distribution of 90 million meals, and that's why we've renewed our commitment to ensuring that aid reaches the people of Gaza in need, and the people of Gaza are Hamas's first victims, as is evident here once again."

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