A further 54 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces between Wednesday and Friday afternoon in the Gaza Strip and more than 100 were injured, according to the latest UN flash assessment, which reports aid officials warning of catastrophe should Israel invade Rafah.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) executive director Cindy McCain said that Northern Gaza is now in the grip of a “full-blown famine”.
“It’s horror,” McCain told the US television network NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview, which will be broadcast on Sunday.
“There is famine – full-blown famine – in the north, and it’s moving its way south,” McCain said in the interview, according to The Associated Press news agency.
McCain also said that a ceasefire and a greatly increased flow of aid through land and sea routes was essential to stave off a growing humanitarian catastrophe for Gaza’s 2.3 million people after months of Israeli air, land and sea attacks that have killed at least 34,622 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,867.
Turkey suspended all trade with Israel on Thursday, citing the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in Gaza as its motive.
“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” the ministry said in a statement.
A freeze on imports and exports will continue until the Israeli government allows aid to reach Gaza, says Turkey’s ministry of trade.
Business deals between Turkey and Israel were worth almost $7 billion last year (€6.5 billion).
