DaysofPal- The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached its most dire point since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Citing data from UNICEF, UNRWA reported that nearly 600 children have been killed and over 1,600 injured since Israel resumed its military offensive on March 18, following a ceasefire breakdown.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed that Israeli attacks since March 18 have killed 2,308 people and wounded nearly 6,000 more. The death toll continues to rise daily, with 40 Palestinians, including women and children, killed in the past 24 hours alone. Among the most recent casualties are three civilians, one of them a child, who died in an Israeli shelling that targeted a home south of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Local sources also reported that Israeli helicopters bombed a house in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis, injuring multiple individuals. These attacks are part of a relentless campaign that has resulted in more than 52,000 Palestinian deaths and around 118,000 injuries since the war began in October 2023.
The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has documented a concerning number of strikes targeting civilian infrastructure between March 18 and April 27. During this period, 259 attacks on residential buildings and 99 on tents sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded. Alarmingly, 40 of these attacks occurred in Al Mawasi, Khan Yunis, an area the Israeli army had designated as a safe zone for civilians.
One such attack took place on April 27, when eight Palestinians, including five women, were killed after an IDP tent was hit in northwestern Khan Yunis. The following day, four Palestinians, three of them children, were killed and around 40 others injured in another strike on tents in the southern Al Mawasi area.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed deep concern over the pattern of these assaults, stating:
“These incidents reflect the pattern we have seen during this escalation of attacks that raise grave concerns of violations of the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions. Each of these incidents must be fully investigated. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities would constitute a war crime.”
Beyond the violence, the people of Gaza are grappling with the catastrophic consequences of a 60-day Israeli blockade that has cut off food and medical supplies.
Over 2.4 million Palestinians, including more than one million children, now face the daily threat of starvation. The United Nations has described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as having “exceeded all limits of imagination.”
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