Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas about five months ago in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has constantly bombarded them and threatened them with starvation, the Islamist movement said on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The main mediators in that war, the United States and Qatar, have said they hope to reach a truce that would allow the release of hostages held in Gaza before the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, which begins around March 11.

The conflict, which has turned the Palestinian territory into a “death zone” according to the UN, is already the bloodiest of five conflicts between Israel and Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007.

Every day, civilians are caught up in the fighting and shelling that has spared no territory, devastated entire neighborhoods and forced 1.7 million Palestinians out of a population of 2.4 million to flee their homes.

According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, at least 76 people were killed in the last day as a result of Israeli shelling.

Before dawn, shelling hit areas of northern Gaza accompanied by ground fighting, as well as Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, an AFP journalist in the tight area said.

Fighting is concentrated in Khan Yunis, 3 km north of Rafah.

“There is no food here”

According to the latest figures released Wednesday by Hamas’ health ministry, 29,954 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the war began on October 7.

On the same day, Hamas commandos who infiltrated from neighboring Gaza launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel, killing at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to AFP, based on official Israeli figures.

During the attack, about 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. According to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held there, 31 of whom are believed to be dead. Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a truce in late November.

In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization.

After carrying out a ground, sea and air bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive in the north of the territory on October 27, advancing south, during which it lost 242 soldiers.

According to the UN, 2.2 million people – the vast majority of the population – are at risk of starvation in the territory, which has been besieged by Israel since October 9, especially in the north, where destruction, fighting and looting have made it almost impossible to deliver aid, subject to Israel’s approval.

According to the UN, which also condemns the obstacles created by Israel, no convoy has been able to reach the northern part of the Gaza Strip since January 23.

“There is no food here,” local resident Marwan Awadi told AFP. “We don’t know how we’re going to survive.”

“There is no way out”…

“If nothing changes, there is a threat of famine in northern Gaza,” warned Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program (WFP).

“If nothing is done, we fear that a large-scale famine in Gaza is almost inevitable,” added Ramesh Rajasingham, coordinating director of the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).