GAZA: The first day of Ramadhan came and went in Gaza, with residents marking a joyless iftar against a backdrop of famine, disease and displacement as the war in the besieged territory ground on more than five months after it began.
As the Muslim world welcomed the start of the holy month on Monday, Gazans faced continued Israeli bombardments and a spiralling humanitarian crisis.
With the flow of food and other assistance slowed to a trickle, a UN report citing the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said 25 people have now died from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them children.
In Gaza's southern border city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people have sought refuge, the usual generous iftar meal marking the end of the day's fast was replaced by "canned food and beans", said displaced Khan Yunis resident Mohammad al-Masry.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for "silencing the guns" during the Muslim holy month and said he was "appalled and outraged that conflict is continuing".
In Gaza City, surrounded by collapsed buildings, one family gathered around a table next to the ruins of their home to break the fast on Monday.
"Today is the first day of Ramadhan. We decided to come and break the fast here in our home that was struck, despite the destruction and the rubble," said Om Shaher Al Qta'a.
Earlier in the day, Zaki Abu Mansour said in Rafah that his last meal before the fast began had been meagre.
Israel's retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive has killed 31,112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Israel also carried out strikes against Palestinians ally groups deep inside Lebanese territory, with the governor of the local Baalbek-Hermel region saying one man had been killed.
The Israeli military later confirmed its jets had hit two sites in the area "in retaliation to aircraft attacks launched towards the Golan Heights".
Since November, Yemeni groups have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, in professed solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel's war against Palestinians in Gaza.
The attacks have sent insurance costs spiralling for vessels plying the key trade route and prompted many shipping firms to take the far longer passage around the southern tip of Africa instead.
Since January, the United States and Britain have launched repeated strikes on targets in Yemen. — AFP
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