The Gaza Ministry of Health announced today, Saturday, that 24,927 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 62,388 injured in Israeli strikes on the sector since October 7th. In the past 24 hours alone, 165 Palestinians have died, and 280 were injured. The ministry highlighted that “the Israeli occupation committed 14 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 165 martyrs and 280 injuries over the past 24 hours,” noting that some victims are still under the rubble and on the streets.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah called for an immediate ceasefire and not just an assessment of the humanitarian disaster and its implications. In a statement issued today, the ministry pointed out that while international official and public demands for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people have been increasing over the past 106 days, and despite continuous warnings about the consequences and dimensions of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe among Palestinian civilians, the Israeli state continues to commit more massacres against Palestinian civilians, averaging about 200 martyrs daily.
The statement also criticized the Israeli government’s attempts to “market more justifications for prolonging the war with baseless excuses and pretexts to extend their stay in power and to achieve their undeclared goals of emptying the Gaza Strip, or at least its northern part, of all inhabitants.” The discussion about the post-war period is seen as a distraction and a sedative used to suppress the voices and screams of Palestinian civilians due to the ongoing and horrific aggression.
The recent Israeli aggression against Gaza has been marked by a series of intense and deadly incidents. Israeli air raids have continued unabated, with significant civilian casualties reported, including women and children. The recent surge in violence marks the continuation of hostilities that have occurred periodically since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
One of the most significant incidents was an Israeli air strike on a family home in Gaza City’s al-Sahaba Street, which resulted in the deaths of 12 members of the Hijazi family and four of their neighbors, including three children. Amnesty International’s research found no evidence of military targets in the area at the time of the attack, raising concerns about the indiscriminate nature of the attack and potential war crimes.
The Israeli military has conducted operations in response to what it claims are threats from Hamas, the militant Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2006. However, these operations have often resulted in high civilian casualties and widespread destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. The ongoing conflict has had a devastating impact on the Palestinian population in Gaza, leading to significant loss of life and injuries.
The international community, including the United Nations and various human rights organizations, has expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the disproportionate use of force by Israel. Despite these concerns, there has been limited progress in resolving the conflict, with deep divisions remaining between the Israeli government and Palestinian groups.
