GAZA: Scores of civilians were killed and others injured this evening as Israeli occupation forces continued their bombardment of various areas in the Gaza Strip, particularly in central and southern regions, accompanied by powerful explosions heard north of Gaza City, according to local sources.
In central Gaza, sources reported that Israeli artillery targeted the minaret of the Old City Mosque in Deir al-Balah. Simultaneously, Israeli warplanes and artillery targeted the nearby Bureij refugee camp.
Continuous Israeli artillery shelling was reported in northern Gaza, as well as in the eastern regions of the central governorate, especially in the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps, and the southern city of Khan Yunis, which is currently densely populated with refugees and displaced people from the northern Gaza Strip.
In Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, four civilians were killed in intense shelling around the European Hospital southeast of the city.
Another civilian was killed, and two others were
injured in a heavy artillery bombardment on a house in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its teams transported the deceased and the injured to the hospital.
Medical sources further reported that Israeli forces committed 14 massacres against Palestinian families in the past 24 hours, resulting in 165 fatalities and 250 injuries.
According to the sources, Israeli abuses against the healthcare system have led to the martyrdom of 312 healthcare workers, including specialized personnel who are hard to find. The occupation also deliberately destroyed 104 ambulances, rendering them out of service.
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, the occupation forces have also targeted 142 health facilities, with 23 hospitals and 53 health centers rendered out of service. Meanwhile, 99 healthcare workers, including hospital directors in northern Gaza, remain detained in Israeli custody.
Approximately 900,000 displaced children in Gaza are exposed to th
e severe cold, drought, malnutrition, respiratory and skin diseases, and the unavailability of vaccinations for newborns.
Moreover, 50,000 displaced pregnant women are suffering from malnutrition and health complications, especially those with high-risk pregnancies, due to the lack of drinking water, hygiene, food, and healthcare.
In a preliminary toll, the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza from the land, sea, and air since October 7 has resulted in more than 21,000 martyrs and around 56,000 injuries, with thousands still missing, 70% of whom are children and women.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA