Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Sunday that five more Palestinians, including two children, died of hunger over the previous 24 hours, pushing the enclave’s famine-related death toll to 217. The ministry noted that 100 of the victims were children, underscoring warnings from UN agencies that large parts of the territory face catastrophic food insecurity. The ministry also reported that Israeli fire killed 61 people and wounded 363 across the strip during the same period. At least 35 of those killed, according to the ministry, were residents queueing for scarce food aid near distribution points. Humanitarian deliveries continue to claim lives as well. Medical officials said a 15-year-old boy, Muhannad Zakaria Eid, was fatally struck on Saturday when an airdropped aid pallet landed on him near the Nuseirat camp. Local authorities count at least 23 deaths linked to errant aid drops since such operations began under Israel’s blockade. UN agencies say only a fraction of the roughly 600 truckloads of food and medicine needed each day is entering Gaza, forcing reliance on risky air drops. The World Food Programme has warned that one in three Gaza residents now goes days without eating, while UNICEF describes an acute risk of famine. Israel, which launched its offensive after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, says it is facilitating humanitarian supplies while targeting militants. The Health Ministry puts overall Palestinian casualties since the war’s start at 61,430 dead and 153,213 wounded.