UN reports casualties as Italy, Greece, Portugal urge protection for global aid flotilla

Despite a Gaza peace proposal under consideration, fighting continues in the besieged Palestinian strip with deadly Israeli airstrikes and fresh Palestinian rocket fire aimed at Israel, UN humanitarian officials said on Oct 1.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said scores of people were reportedly killed or injured in the latest attacks in Gaza.

Published reports said sirens were sounded in Israeli communities near Gaza.

OCHA said the Gaza health authorities reported that since the war erupted in October 2023, fatalities have topped 66,000 people.

“OCHA stresses once again that civilians must never be a target,” said the office. “Under international humanitarian law, they must be protected.”

The office noted the health authorities also reported that 177 people, including 36 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since famine was confirmed in August.

The UN Population Fund said that more than 60 percent of pregnant women and new mothers are suffering from malnutrition.

Humanitarians continue to call for unimpeded and sustained access into and throughout Gaza to deliver critical supplies and services in sufficient quantities to help meet people’s needs, according to OCHA.

UNICEF warned that displaced children have been walking in fear for several days amid bombardment, gunfire, and dead bodies, and without food and water.

OCHA said that families in southern Gaza are squeezed into severely overcrowded makeshift tents along the coast. As winter approaches, tents are at risk of being flooded. In August, some families were affected by rising tides along the coast.

It added that humanitarians continue to provide services across Gaza as best as they can in the face of significant challenges.

Teams were able to collect vaccines and nutrition supplies from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing and install a solar panel in Deir al-Balah. Tents, tarpaulins and bedsheets were allowed to enter the strip, although hundreds of thousands of people remain in desperate need of shelter, according to the office.

Meanwhile, Italy and Greece on Oct 1 urged Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) participants headed for Gaza and to allow consular protection measures.

The GSF, comprising about 52 small vessels and more than 500 volunteers from over 40 countries including Greece and Italy, aims to challenge Israel’s naval blockade imposed since 2007 and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said late on Oct 1 that Israeli authorities had boarded the flotilla’s vessels before 9 pm local time and detained the crew members.

He confirmed that the Italian government had instructed its embassies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to provide assistance to all Italian citizens taken to Ashdod Port and facing deportation.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto characterized the operation as a “blockade”, emphasizing the hope for a calm and rational process without issues.

According to Italy’s national television news channel Rai News 24, some flotilla participants reported that in the early hours of Oct 1, an Israeli warship approached the fleet and surrounded the lead vessel, the Alma, but did not carry out a boarding operation.

Israel detained three Portuguese citizens after intercepting GSF vessels, Portuguese authorities said.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has pledged that the government will provide “full consular support” to the detained citizens through the Portuguese embassy in Tel Aviv.

The Portuguese Foreign Ministry said that consular services at Portugal’s Tel Aviv embassy have been in contact with Israeli authorities for several days, requesting that Portuguese citizens be treated “with dignity and without violence” and “respect of their individual human rights.”

Earlier in the day, Italy and Greece issued a joint declaration saying that the two countries are closely monitoring developments related to the flotilla.

Greece and Italy reiterated the need to guarantee humanitarian access to Gaza and called for a ceasefire at the earliest possible date. The two countries urged all parties to refrain from actions that could be exploited by those opposed to peace.

Several vessels of the GSF have been stopped in the Mediterranean Sea as they approached Gaza’s shores, and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port, according to a statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Oct 1 night.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in the statement that the Israeli Navy has reached out to the flotilla and asked them to change course.

“Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade,” the ministry said.

The flotilla set sail from ports of various countries since August, converging toward Gaza with the goal of opening a humanitarian corridor by sea. During the trip, the fleet has come under repeated attacks, including drone strikes and “intimidation attacks”.