In the latest wave of violence, dozens of women and young children have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, with reports indicating that nearly 50 people were killed and dozens injured in one day. The overall death toll in the besieged Palestinian territory is approaching 46,000, according to medical sources.
Al Jazeera quoted the health authorities as saying at least 49 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli strikes since the early hours of Tuesday. Five children were among those killed seeking shelter in tents marking a “humanitarian safe zone” in al-Mawasi, a coastal area in southern Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in makeshift camps have not stopped the Israeli military operations, which claim to be targeting Hamas, though evidence has not been provided. The Ministry of Health in Gaza condemned these actions, stating that three “massacres” of Palestinian families occurred in the past 24 hours, resulting in 31 deaths and 57 injuries.
According to Ahmed al-Farra, the head of children’s ward in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, five children were killed in the same shelter in a tent. The hospital admitted eight children, five women besides others. Israeli warplanes also pounded a vehicle and two residential houses in Khan Younis and some of the bodies were beyond recognition.
At the hospital morgue, grim scenes unfolded with bodies lying on stretchers and metal shelves, some remains disfigured from the explosions. One young girl lay her head in the lap of another dead child-a poignant example of the tragic circumstances facing families in the area.
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from central Gaza, said Israeli attacks had intensified, with particular ferocity in al-Mawasi. Continuing attacks have added to the humanitarian complexity as aid convoys were also attacked and a shortage of fuel threatened to grind services at already overwhelmed hospitals. The European Hospital in Khan Younis reported it would run out of fuel in 24 hours, while the Al-Aqsa Hospital said it could face power cuts due to fuel shortages.
Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said efforts to help people in Gaza were “at breaking point.” He cited examples of Israeli forces attacking a food distribution point and firing on a clearly marked UN convoy, adding to the dangers faced by aid workers.
Fletcher pointed out the disturbing trend of attacks on humanitarian operations. He added, “There is now a perception that it is dangerous to protect aid convoys but safe to loot them.”
