The first day of Ramadan on Monday arrived like others for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza, stalked by famine and disease, shivering in tents and threatened by bombs more than five months into fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.
As the Muslim world welcomed the holy month and its customary daytime fast, many Gazans awoke to bombardment that saw residents once more search through the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors and bodies, reports AFP.
UN and aid groups say only a fraction of the supplies needed for Gaza's 2.4 million people have been allowed in since Israel placed the Palestinian territory under near-total siege after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.
"The start of Ramadan has been sad and covered in darkness, with the taste and stench of blood everywhere," said one displaced Palestinian man, Awni al-Kayyal, 50.
"The (Israeli) occupation does not want us to have any joy during Ramadan. We do not have any food for our iftar table," he said, referring to the fast-breaking evening meal.
Goods that are available are sold at exorbitant prices, residents say. A Spanish charity vessel laden with food was set to sail from Cyprus to Gaza but faced delays, with Cypriot state media saying the platform to receive the aid in Gaza was not ready.
The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat was expected to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food, but a spokeswoman could not confirm when it would depart.
Fighting raged across Gaza, even as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "silencing the guns" during Ramadan which he said celebrates "peace, reconciliation and solidarity.
"Yet even though Ramadan has begun -- the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza," Guterres said.
The Israeli military reported that troops killed 15 militants "in close encounters, sniper fire and air strikes".
It added that "several Hamas operatives were arrested" during raids on homes in southern Gaza, while witnesses reported violent clashes in several areas overnight.
Hamas's attack that started the war resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli official figures.
The militants also took around 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes that 99 hostages still in Gaza remain alive and 31 have died.
Israel's retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive has killed 31,112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
It said at least 67 people were killed over the previous 24 hours.
The Hamas government media office said separately that more than 40 air strikes targeted homes in Khan Yunis city in Gaza's south, Gaza City in the north, and other areas.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
