Gaza Crisis: More than 37,718 Palestinians Killed Since Oct 7

'More than 495,000 people across the Gaza Strip are facing the most severe, or catastrophic, level of food insecurity.'

Gaza Crisis: More than 37,718 Palestinians Killed Since Oct 7

More than 37,718 Palestinians have been killed and 86,377 have been injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said.

Arwa Damon, founder of the International Network for Aid, Relief, and Assistance (INARA), told Al Jazeera that she observed widespread devastation of "every single aspect of life that would make the Gaza Strip inhabitable."

The former CNN senior correspondent, an American journalist, recently visited Gaza City to provide supplies.

"Where I am currently, in Deir el-Balah, is pretty much the only region in Gaza that is still standing. Every other section of this small plot of land has been rendered entirely uninhabitable," she stated. 

Gaza is at a serious risk of starvation as Israel and Hamas' battle continues and access to aid is restricted, while delivery of supplies has prevented the expected spread of acute hunger in northern regions, according to a worldwide monitor on Tuesday. 

According to an update from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), over 495,000 individuals in the Gaza Strip are experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic" degree of food insecurity. 

This is down from the previous estimate of 1.1 million three months ago, yet it still represents more than one-fifth of Gaza's population. 

Under "catastrophic" food insecurity, families face a severe lack of food, resulting in acute malnutrition in young children, an urgent risk of starvation, and death.