Starvation deaths rise in the Gaza Strip... and an emergency Security Council meeting.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Gulf News_Reports: The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday the registration of 5 new deaths due to famine and malnutrition in the Strip during the past 24 hours. The ministry said in a statement today: "The number of famine victims thus rises to 217 deaths, including 100 children." The ministry confirmed that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen in light of the siege and the shortage of food and medical supplies, renewing its call to the international community and relief organizations for immediate and urgent intervention. In contrast, the Israeli body that coordinates activities in Gaza and the West Bank (COGAT) stated that during the past week "about 1,900 trucks of aid were collected and distributed from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings." The Times of Israel newspaper quoted the body, which operates as part of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, on Sunday as saying that more than 1,310 trucks of aid, most of them loaded with food, entered Gaza this week. The body continued: "We will continue to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza for the civilian population and not Hamas." The United Nations estimates that between 500 and 600 trucks of aid are needed daily to meet the needs of Gaza's population of more than two million people. Security Council meeting The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency session on Sunday to discuss Israel's intentions to control and occupy the city of Gaza. The plan, approved by the Israeli Security Council on Friday, has sparked global outrage. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as a "dangerous escalation" in the 22-month war in the Gaza Strip. The European countries on the Security Council - Denmark, France, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Slovenia - called for an emergency session in New York. The session will begin at 10:00 am local time (14:00 GMT). Member states will exchange views, and UN rapporteurs are also expected to determine the possible repercussions of controlling the main city in Gaza.