The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor expressed its deep concern about the high rate of deaths among the elderly in the Gaza Strip, especially as a result of hunger, malnutrition, and denial of treatment, with Israel continuing to commit the crime of genocide against the residents of the Gaza Strip over a period of five months.

Euro-Med said in a statement, "its field team is documenting, on an almost daily basis, deaths among the elderly, as a result of the crimes of starvation and deprivation of treatment, which Israel commits in the Gaza Strip in a systematic and widespread manner, especially in Gaza City and its north."

He stressed that most of these cases do not reach hospitals that are partially operating in northern Gaza, due to the difficulty of access and the danger of movement in light of the continuing Israeli military attacks, and therefore they die and are buried next to their homes or in temporary cemeteries spread throughout the Strip, the number of which has so far exceeded 140 cemeteries. .

Euro-Med highlighted that the direct toll of the Israeli attack rose to more than 40,000 dead, about 92% of whom were civilians, and about 7% of whom were elderly, within five months since the beginning of the crime of genocide.

He stressed that thousands of victims fell and were not documented in hospitals because they were indirect victims, as a result of hunger, malnutrition, and lack of health care.

Euro-Med documented the death of an elderly man (72 years old) on March 6 in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, indicating that he was one of the few cases that were able to reach hospitals.

Muhammad Shuhaybar, a resident of Gaza City, reported to the Euro-Med team that 8 elderly people had died in the Al-Sabra neighborhood where he lived during the past three days, as they suffered from various complications resulting from hunger, lack of medical care, and cold.

The Euro-Med Monitor indicated that the number of elderly people (over 60 years old) amounts to 107 thousand people according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the year 2023, representing about 5% of the population of the Gaza Strip, and all of them have become victims of Israeli violations that have left a dangerous humanitarian situation for all segments of society, and has doubled. Its impact on already vulnerable groups, as a result of the continuation of Israeli military operations targeting civilians systematically, on a large scale and without exception, and the spread of famine, acute malnutrition, and deprivation of the health care necessary to survive.

The elderly woman, Shifa Salah al-Haj Saleh, tells the Euro-Med team the details of the famine that the residents of northern Gaza are experiencing: “In addition to the destruction and killing that we have been experiencing for more than five months, we are now living in a severe war of starvation, the likes of which we have not witnessed in previous times. I have five children and 14 grandchildren. I always think about what these children will eat, as we are living a real war in providing a living.”

She added: "I suffer from high blood pressure and I always need to eat before receiving medication, but I cannot find food, and if I do find it, I always say that I will feed it to my children. During this war, I lost my home, my daughter and her husband were killed, and my other daughter was injured."

The elderly man, M.S. (65 years old), who requested that his name not be mentioned, says: I could not move to the southern Gaza Strip because I am in a wheelchair. All my children were displaced, and I stayed with my daughter.

He continued: "We have difficulty moving around. There are bombings everywhere, and sometimes two days pass without me eating anything. I suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, and there are no treatments available. We depend on what our neighbors help us with, and what my daughter is able to collect from time to time after she travels long distances."

The Euro-Med Monitor confirmed that the elderly paid a heavy price for the Israeli attack, as a result of their fragility and inability to move, in addition to 70% of them suffering from chronic diseases that made them more vulnerable to being affected by the repercussions of the Israeli attacks and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

He indicated that there were many forms of targeting the elderly, including direct targeting during the bombing of homes on the heads of their residents, where large numbers of casualties were recorded among them, and dozens of them were killed in direct extrajudicial executions, whether by sniper operations or shooting from Quadcopter aircraft.

The elderly were also affected by injuries, with difficulty recovering due to their advanced age and the lack of appropriate health care.

Euro-Med explained that the displaced elderly among about 2 million displaced people were also vulnerable to additional suffering as a result of their health condition, which worsened with the extreme cold, lack of food and potable water, lack of suitable places to sleep, and lack of treatment or care, health tools, and supportive medical devices.

He added that whoever is spared being killed by Israeli fire remains vulnerable to being killed as a result of other intentional crimes, most notably starvation, dehydration, and the diseases associated with them, in parallel with the deprivation of basic and necessary medical care.