The Israeli army claimed in a statement that it "killed Muhammad Muhammad Abdul Khaliq Khalla in a raid targeting the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday," alleging that he was a leader in Hamas's military wing.
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He also claimed that Khalla held a leadership position in the military wing's weapons production authority, and contributed to the production of weapons and the strengthening of its military capabilities throughout the sector.
In another raid, the Israeli army announced the killing of Ahmed Jabrin Tawfiq Dahlan on Thursday in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming he belonged to the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement. Neither movement immediately commented on the Israeli claims.
The announcement comes amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, through killings, assassinations, bombings and destruction, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the agreement came into effect.
Israeli violations up to Thursday have resulted in the martyrdom of 1,505 Palestinians and the injury of 5,332 others, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.
Since October 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 74,000 martyrs and more than 175,000 wounded Palestinians, and destroying 90 percent of the infrastructure.
The risk of a food crisis
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry warned in a statement on World Food Day that more than 1.4 million people will remain at risk of food crisis until the end of 2026.
On August 22, 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization declared a famine in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has used "starvation" as a weapon during the genocide it has been committing in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to government agencies and human rights organizations.
Israel tightened its restrictions on the crossings on March 2, 2025, and prevented the entry of thousands of aid trucks that were piled up in front of the crossings, which exacerbated hunger in the sector as goods ran out in the markets.
This was preceded by widespread hunger in the northern Gaza Strip due to the Israeli blockade and restrictions on the entry of food and relief aid, which forced some residents to eat animal feed and grass to satisfy their hunger.
On May 22, 2025, Israel allowed the entry of 87 aid trucks destined for international and local organizations, for the first time after 81 days of strict closure of the crossings, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.
Subsequently, aid continued to enter in a limited and intermittent manner and under strict restrictions, until February 2026, when Israel, under the ceasefire agreement, allowed a limited increase in the number of trucks arriving in the sector.
Palestinian officials said the trucks did not contain enough basic food items.
According to the Government Media Office, Israel's commitment to allowing humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip does not exceed 34% of what was agreed upon.
The Ministry of Health stated that "malnutrition and starvation rates in Gaza have reached catastrophic levels, devastating children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups."
She explained that the number of deaths related to malnutrition and starvation has reached 466 since 2024, including 157 children, which constitute about a third of the total deaths, adding that 189 deaths were among the elderly, representing 40.5% of the total starvation deaths.
She warned that more than 1.4 million Palestinians, representing about 67% of the Gaza Strip’s population, are expected to face food crisis levels or worse until the end of 2026.
The ministry reported that it had recorded 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition among children under the age of five, from 2024 until August 2026.
She added that among them are 28,716 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition that threatens their lives, while 12.2% of children suffer from stunting, an indication of the repercussions of malnutrition on their growth.
She explained that the mortality rate for children under five years old increased from 13.6 to 33.4 deaths per thousand live births between 2022 and 2025.
The ministry predicted that 74,200 children would need treatment for acute malnutrition by April 2027.
Regarding pregnant women, the ministry said that the rate of anemia rose to 61% during 2026, compared to 41% before the war.
She revealed that nearly 4,000 cases of pregnancy loss were recorded during the first half of this year, an increase of more than three times the cases recorded during the previous six months, adding that one in three pregnancies in the sector is classified as high risk.
The ministry said these indicators reflect the widening health repercussions of the food crisis to include mothers and fetuses, in addition to children.
The Ministry of Health affirmed that "the right to food is an inherent human right that is not forfeited by war," calling on the international community and the United Nations to take immediate action to ensure the safe, sustainable, and unrestricted entry of food, therapeutic supplements, and medicines into the Gaza Strip.
She called for prioritizing children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly, as they are the groups most vulnerable to the consequences of malnutrition, and called for supporting and reviving local food production to help reduce the worsening humanitarian crisis.
These figures come amid the humanitarian consequences of the genocide perpetrated by Israel, which has caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, health facilities, and food production sources.
The war also damaged agricultural areas, food production facilities and water networks, weakening the population's ability to meet their basic needs locally.
Repeated displacement, loss of income sources, and rising prices have contributed to increased reliance of families on humanitarian aid, amid difficulties in accessing it regularly.
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