Gaza: Deadly Israeli attack on school, death toll exceeds 45,000

 Monday, December 16, 2024

Islamabad (Point News / Pakistan Point News - 16th December, 2024 ) The death toll in the 14-month war in Gaza has exceeded 45,000. Aid agencies have condemned Israel’s attack on a school-based shelter and expressed deep concern over the new wave of bombing.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), at least 13 people were killed and 48 injured in a recent attack on a shelter in Khan Yunis.

The Israeli army had not issued any warning message to residents there before the operation.

Loss of children

The agency’s senior emergency officer, Lucy Wetridge, says that people in Gaza are facing worse conditions every day.

She recounted her visit to Nasr Hospital in southern Gaza and said that there she met 17-year-old Mona, who had suffered serious injuries from shrapnel wounds to her leg. She was admitted to the hospital with her sister. Their mother was buried under the rubble of the building in the attack.

Two-year-old Julia, who was admitted to the same hospital, suffered a severe head injury that left her blind in one eye.

Her five-year-old brother also suffered a serious head injury.

Lucy Wetridge said the two children have been displaced with their family seven or eight times. They found refuge in the UNRWA school seven months ago, but the latest attack has left the family hopeless about their future.

69 deaths in 24 hours

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that more than 14,500 children have been reported killed in Gaza.

Many children have died under the rubble of destroyed buildings and their bodies have not been found.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that the threat of famine looms in northern Gaza, where humanitarian access is extremely limited.

He said that 1.1 million children in Gaza are in dire need of protection and mental health assistance. At least 69 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Beit Lahia and Rafah in the past 24 hours.

Food shortages and despair

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the people of Gaza are no longer getting the food they need.

Jonathan Dumont, head of the agency’s emergency communications department, said that if there is no ceasefire, it will have to find a way to bring all the food aid outside Gaza into the area. There has been widespread destruction in the area, where there is neither electricity nor clean drinking water.

There is no sewage system, everyone has lost their homes and most of the population is living in makeshift tents.

He said that the ‘WFP’ is providing people with ready-made meals. The hungry people eagerly await food, and the despair is evident in their eyes. A way to ensure the continuous supply of food aid to Gaza will have to be found to prevent famine.