The Israeli occupation continues its war of genocide against the Gaza Strip for the 58th day in a row, claiming the lives of thousands of Palestinians so far.
The death toll from Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip has risen to over 15,207 victims, mostly women and children, the health ministry in the embattled coastal enclave stated, saying that the number of the wounded climbed to over 400,652 people.
Dozens of Israeli massacres were carried out over the past few hours, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
The health minister further pointed out that 70 per cent of the casualties are children and women.
According to the medical authorities, 2,350 people are still missing under the rubble, including 1,300 children, while 192 health personnel were killed in the Israeli attacks and 55 ambulances were damaged.
The health ministry further noted that the Israeli warplanes deliberately targeted 130 health institutions and put 20 hospitals and 46 primary care centres out of service.
The ministry also accused the Israeli army of detaining and interrogating 31 doctors and medical workers under coercive conditions and torture, including the Director General of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Muhammad Abu Salamiya.
The health ministry accused the Israeli occupation army of deliberately targeting the health sector to put it out of service and make its hospitals incapable of receiving wounded civilians.
The health authorities confirmed that “all hospitals are overcrowded, which has exceeded their medical capabilities and capacity, amid a lack of surgical tools and orthopaedic stabilisers,” indicating that “the occupancy rate of beds in hospitals reached 171 per cent, while the occupancy rate of intensive care beds reached 221 per cent.”
“There are currently 800,000 people in Gaza, and the northern areas have become without shelter, food, drink, or medicine.”
“The overcrowding of displaced people in shelter centres in light of this cold weather has increased the spread of respiratory and skin diseases and other infectious diseases,” it added.
It affirmed that “there are no safe places in the entire Gaza Strip, contrary to what the occupation army claims.”
The health ministry called on the United Nations to activate international resolutions and agreements related to the protection of medical institutions and health service providers, calling on all parties to act immediately to ensure the entry of medical supplies, fuel, field hospitals, and medical teams, and to facilitate hundreds of wounded’s treatment abroad.
The ministry also called on the United Nations and the World Health Organisation to work hard to pressure the Israeli occupation to immediately release health personnel, calling on all international bodies to find effective and urgent mechanisms to prevent a real humanitarian and health catastrophe for more than 1.3 million displaced people in shelter centres.
The Israeli army resumed bombing the Gaza Strip early Friday after declaring an end to a week-long humanitarian truce.
The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law as it exposes civilians’ lives to extreme danger, which requires immediate international intervention.
The international community must force the Israeli occupation forces to abide by international human rights and humanitarian laws, mainly protecting the rights and lives of civilians, prohibiting their targeting and preserving their safety, and holding the Israeli leaders accountable for committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
