Family members of Israelis still being held by Hamas in Gaza are launching a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to petition the government to do more to free the government of Israel.
An elderly Palestinian woman waits to receive food aid from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at the refugee camp of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on July 25, 2010.
It comes as negotiations in Qatar are said to be bringing about a deal between the two war parties that would lead to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages.
President Joe Biden said recently that a deal was close but officials from Israel and Hamas have downplayed his optimistic viewpoint.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar are working on a deal that would see Hamas free some of the remaining 100 plus Israeli hostages in still holds. In exchange, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners and halt its offensive.
Negotiations would continue during the pause to bring home the remaining hostages. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza that the war has caused has sparked condemnation from nations all over the world.
The current situation in Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza, is where 1.4 million Palestinians are currently sheltered. However, analysts believe that a pending ground offensive would be catastrophic.
According to the United Nations, one-fourth of Gaza's population is nearing famine as aid trucks are being looted.
The Health Ministry in Gaza says nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began nearly five months ago.
The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed across southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 others hostage.
Project Hope, a humanitarian group still operating in the area, estimates that up to 21% of pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are suffering from malnutrition.
They also believe that 11% of children under five years old who have been treated in their clinic are malnourished as well.
Project Hope says "People have reported eating nothing but white bread as fruit, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods are nearly impossible to find or too expensive."
What Does Israel Say?
Israel has said that it would not restrict the entry of humanitarian aid to the stricken region but the number of trucks currently entering the area is below the 500 daily deliveries that before the war.
The UN says aid distribution networks in Gaza have mostly fallen due to difficulty coordinating shipments with the IDF amid ongoing fighting and the breakdown of the rule of law.
Previously, Palestinian police forces would escort aid convoys but stopped doing so after being targeted by Israeli strikes, and crowds of desperate people have made it impossible to deliver aid safely.
