“Israeli” aggression on Gaza enters 197th day

Palestine

Published: 2024-04-20 11:38

Last Updated: 2024-05-03 07:32


A displaced Palestinian child lines up to receive food in Rafah, south Gaza. (April 19, 2024) (Photo: Mohammed Abed/ AFP)
A displaced Palestinian child lines up to receive food in Rafah, south Gaza. (April 19, 2024) (Photo: Mohammed Abed/ AFP)

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 197th day, with UNICEF renewing its call for a ceasefire in the Strip adding that over 14,000 children have been killed so far since Oct. 7, 2023.

“Perhaps we should say that slowly. Fourteen thousand. Perhaps we should do something.
And surely that 'something' is not a military offensive in Rafah. Ceasefire. Now,” UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said on his “X” account.

The past hours witnessed several “Israeli” airstrikes on areas in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) expanded their incursion to reach the east of Deir al-Balah camp.

The spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Ashraf al-Qudra, said that the Israeli occupation deliberately destroys the healthcare system in Gaza and its north, pointing out that the ministry has lost medical staff who formed the backbone of services in the specialties of oncology and nephrology.

Al-Qudra added on Thursday that more than 730,000 people in Gaza and its north are without any “real health services”, confirming that the destruction of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex dealt a devastating blow to the healthcare system in Gaza.

Al-Qudra stressed that Gaza currently needs 200-bed surgical field hospitals with operating rooms and intensive care units to deal with the wounded and patients in the Strip.

“Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that there is no famine in the Gaza Strip, despite warnings from relief agencies and the United Nations that Gaza is on the brink of famine.

Netanyahu told the foreign ministers of Britain and Germany: "We reject the claims of international organizations regarding famine in Gaza," according to a statement issued by his office.

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