The Ministry of Health in Gaza has announced that the death toll from the Israeli aggression in the region has reached 28,176 martyrs, in addition to 67,784 injured since October 7th of last year.
The Ministry reported on Sunday that 112 martyrs and 173 others were injured in the region in the past 24 hours, as the occupation forces expanded their raids on the area.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported on Sunday the martyrdom of a Palestinian by Israeli sniper fire in the square of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. It was also reported that the occupation forces are forcing evacuees in UNRWA shelters in Khan Yunis to leave.
The Palestinian Red Crescent announced the martyrdom of 3 patients on Sunday morning due to the occupation’s prevention of oxygen from entering Al-Amal Hospital for about a week.
The Red Crescent stated that the occupation forces destroyed medical equipment inside Al-Amal Hospital, assaulted medical staff before arresting 9 of them. It denied the reports claiming that the occupation introduced medical equipment into the hospital.
It clarified that the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of necessary fuel to operate the generators in the hospital, threatening to halt the services.
Raids and Widespread Destruction
Earlier, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported the martyrdom of a Palestinian woman and the injury of others in an Israeli shelling targeting the Abu Salimia family’s house in Deir al-Balah camp in central Gaza. Injuries and martyrs were also transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah due to Israeli shelling.
In the Brazil neighborhood in the south of Rafah city, two members of the Palestinian police were martyred in an Israeli airstrike targeting their car. A similar strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood yesterday morning, leading to the martyrdom of the director of investigations, his deputy, and the director of supply investigations in Rafah.
Meanwhile, the Al-Jazeera correspondent observed significant destruction left by the Israeli army in the Tel al-Hawa area of Gaza City after withdrawing from the region.
Al-Jazeera also documented massive destruction caused by the Israeli army after withdrawing from the university area in Gaza City, which includes the Islamic University and Al-Aqsa University. The footage shows extensive damage in the area, which also houses the UNRWA headquarters and shelters thousands of Palestinian refugees.
Martyrs Due to Famine in Northern Gaza
The Israeli occupation forces have expanded their airstrikes in the region amidst catastrophic humanitarian conditions and a famine affecting the inhabitants due to the tight blockade on the region in general, especially in the northern areas.
Al-Jazeera’s correspondent in Northern Gaza reported that several people have died of hunger due to food shortages, highlighting that the occupation forces continue to block aid entry, mentioning that some families cannot secure a daily meal.
Ismael al-Thawabteh, the Gaza Government Information Office General Director, stated to Al-Jazeera that the humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza has surpassed the disastrous stage. He indicated that some families receive only half a meal within 48 hours, noting the lack of feed and grains for the citizens.
He explained that the specter of famine surrounds over 400,000 citizens in the North Gaza Governorate, adding that the humanitarian situation in the governorate has exceeded the catastrophic stage under the policy of starvation, thirst, and siege applied by Israel.
Thawabteh asserted that the occupation prevents trucks from reaching the North Gaza Governorate, holding the occupation responsible for besieging the region and blocking aid delivery, demanding an end to the occupation’s attacks on civilians and the war, as well as urging pressure on the occupation to lift the blockade.
Warnings
UNRWA spokesperson Tamara al-Rifai stated, “The danger is looming now” with the risks of Israeli occupation forces targeting the Rafah area in southern Gaza, where displaced persons are currently crowded.
Al-Rifai explained that there is no other place for people to move to further south in the region, emphasizing that an operation in Rafah means more killings of Gaza residents.
Additionally, UNRWA spokesperson Kazem Abu Khalaf in Jerusalem affirmed that over half of Gaza’s population in Rafah have nowhere to seek refuge, highlighting in his statements to Al-Jazeera that UNRWA’s experience “proves that there is no safe humanitarian space or passage in Gaza.”
Despite escalating international warnings of a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “not entering Rafah will lead to losing the war and keeping Hamas.”
