According to the Gaza health ministry, the overall number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since October 7 is now 17,177, with over 46,000 others injured.
According to the ministry, 350 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours.
Israel declared war on Hamas following the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people, largely civilians, according to Israeli authorities, and resulted in the kidnapping of approximately 240 hostages.
In the ongoing conflict, Israel has pledged to eliminate Hamas and secure the release of 138 hostages, a mission that intensified following a brief truce. Israeli forces reported the elimination of several Hamas commanders in an airstrike near the Indonesia Hospital. Concurrently, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters engaged Israeli troops in Khan Yunis to prevent an incursion, resulting in casualties.
The Hamas-led government’s media office reported numerous fatalities and injuries from heavy strikes east of Khan Yunis, while central and northern Gaza continued to face bombardment. The Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza saw six people killed and 14 injured in airstrikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, suggested that if Israel encountered resistance from Pakistan, acts of cruelty might cease. He commended Pakistan as a courageous nation and expressed hope in its support, referring to the country as a land of Mujahideen.
As the conflict escalated, Israel advised civilians in northern Gaza to relocate south, causing panic and anxiety. UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini criticized these displacement orders, stating that people were being squeezed into less than one-third of Gaza, leaving them with dwindling options. International aid groups condemned the shifting directives, emphasizing the lack of safe zones in Gaza.
In response to demands for safe areas, Israel’s army published a map for Gazans to evacuate if needed. However, the UN criticized the map, deeming the creation of safe zones inside Gaza as unfeasible and irrational. James Elder from UNICEF stated that these so-called safe zones lacked scientific basis and were not practical.
The violence in Gaza was strongly condemned by the Norwegian Refugee Council, which deemed it one of the worst assaults on any civilian population in recent times. As winter approached, the council warned of severe public health consequences. Displaced Gazans, comprising around three-quarters of the population, sought refuge in southern areas, moving their belongings on donkey carts, battered vehicles, and camels.
In the north, the Israeli military reported encircling the Jabalia refugee camp and raiding a Hamas Internal Security Forces command center. The number of Israeli soldiers killed in the conflict rose to 82, according to official reports. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported casualties from Israeli strikes on Jabalia. The overall situation remains complex and volatile, with both humanitarian and geopolitical implications.
