DaysofPal- The Government Media Office in Gaza stated that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are welcoming the year 2026 under the weight of deep wounds and accumulated suffering left by one of the most brutal crimes of genocide in modern history, committed by the Israeli occupation over two consecutive years amid widespread aggression, a suffocating siege, systematic starvation, and the comprehensive destruction of all foundations of life.
Speaking during a press conference held on Thursday, the office said that 2025 was among the harshest years ever endured by Gaza’s population. More than 2.4 million people were subjected to policies of systematic killing, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation, while Israeli forces reduced Gaza’s cities and towns to rubble, destroyed infrastructure at unprecedented levels, and razed entire residential neighborhoods, forcibly displacing over two million Palestinians.
The office reported that the death toll has surpassed 71,000 Palestinians whose bodies reached hospitals, in addition to more than 171,000 wounded and injured. Nearly 9,500 people remain missing under the rubble, amid what it described as a near-total international silence.
According to the Media Office, the past year witnessed the near-complete collapse of Gaza’s humanitarian system due to the direct and deliberate targeting of hospitals and medical staff, educational institutions, places of worship, shelters, ambulance crews, civil defense teams, and journalists.
These attacks were compounded by systematic policies blocking the entry of food, medicine, and fuel, leading to the deaths of thousands of children, women, and elderly people, and placing hundreds of thousands at risk of famine and disease.
With the arrival of 2026, the office stressed that the coming phase must represent a genuine turning point, beginning with a complete halt to the aggression and an end to the genocide, followed by a transition toward comprehensive humanitarian recovery and the launch of Gaza’s reconstruction on just and sustainable foundations that guarantee the dignity of the Palestinian people and their right to a safe and dignified life.
The office outlined urgent priorities, including an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the full lifting of the blockade, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the permanent opening of all crossings to allow humanitarian aid, relief supplies, fuel, and medical equipment to enter freely, and the guarantee of unrestricted freedom of movement for civilians.
It also called for the launch of a serious reconstruction process encompassing the rebuilding of homes, infrastructure, and health, education, and service facilities; the support of the exhausted healthcare sector; the empowerment of relief organizations to carry out their work; the provision of essential needs for displaced persons; and the assurance of their safe and dignified return to their areas of origin.
In closing, the Government Media Office emphasized the necessity of holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes under international law and ending the policy of impunity.
It renewed its appeal to Arab and Islamic leaders, the international community, the United Nations, and all humanitarian and human rights organizations to take urgent and effective action to put an end to the ongoing crime against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
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