Gaza Strip (AFP) – Health officials in Gaza reported on Monday more than 24,000 deaths in the war with Israel which has sent shockwaves across the region, as the fighting passed the grim 100-day milestone.
Deadly violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and along Israel’s border with Lebanon as well as fighting between United States (US) forces and Iran-backed Yemeni rebels in the Red Sea have raised fears of an escalation beyond the Gaza Strip.
The war, began on October 7, 2023 has created a humanitarian catastrophe for the 2.4 million people in the besieged strip, the United Nations and aid groups warn, and reduced much of the territory to rubble. The health ministry in Gaza, ruled by Hamas since 2007, reported more than 60 “martyrs” and dozens more wounded overnight, in what the group’s media office described as “intense” Israeli bombardment across Gaza.
The Hamas government media office said two hospitals, a girls’ school and “dozens” of homes were hit overnight.
Hospitals in Gaza have been hit repeatedly since the war erupted, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said most of them are no longer functioning.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas militants of operating out of civilian facilities or from tunnels under them, a charge the group denies.
The latest strikes hit the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as areas around Gaza City, the Hamas media office said.
The army said its forces had struck “two terrorists loading weapons into a vehicle” in Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city, and raided “a Hamas command centre” there and seized weapons.
The UN said more than three months of fighting have displaced roughly 85 per cent of the territory’s population, crowded into shelters and struggling to get food, water, fuel and medical care.
