Palestinians face 'biggest humanitarian catastrophe' amid Israeli actions: President

Palestinians wait to receive free food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City, on July 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Palestinians are facing "the biggest humanitarian catastrophe" of their time amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the West Bank, due to the failure of global efforts to deter Israeli actions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday.

Israel's continued military operations in Gaza, including targeting aid centers and imposing restrictions that have led to severe shortages of food and medical supplies, constitute "a war crime" for which Israel "bears full responsibility," Abbas said in an address aired on official Palestine TV.

Rejecting any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land, Abbas urged an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, the release of Palestinian tax revenues withheld by Israel, and the restoration of full Palestinian authority over Gaza.

Abbas also commented on the Israeli Knesset's approval on Wednesday of a motion calling for the imposition of so-called "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied West Bank. He said such a move undermines "the rights of our people to an independent and sovereign state," and represents a serious escalation.

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, has resulted in more than 59,210 Palestinian deaths and over 143,040 injuries, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

On Thursday, the health authorities reported two more deaths from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours in Gaza, raising the death toll to 113 since March.

Gaza "is in dire need of at least 500,000 bags of flour per week to avoid a complete humanitarian collapse," Hamas-run government media office said Thursday in a press statement.

Several UN agencies have also warned of the "dire" hunger crisis in Gaza.