GAZA CITY: The health ministry in Gaza has reported that 17,177 innocent Palestinians have been brutally killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip since the commencement of violence on October 7.
The health ministry on Thursday said 350 were killed in the past 24 hours as heavy Israeli bombardments continued in Gaza for months.
The devastating war between Israel and Hamas has entered into its third month and fighting on Thursday raged across the besieged Gaza Strip.
During a seven-day ceasefire that expired on December 1, Hamas released 105 captives, including 80 in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that public order would completely break down soon because of the desperate conditions in Gaza, with irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole.
Gazans, being collectively punished
The UN rights chief, Volker Turk has also warned of utter, deepening horror for Gazans, who are being collectively punished.
Earlier, the US said it would refuse visas to extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where Palestinian authorities say more than 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers since the war started.
The dire situation in Gaza is compounded by an Israeli blockade, severing the region from essential supplies such as fuel, electricity, and water. Aid deliveries to Gaza have reached to a minimum. Israel has been deliberately targeting medical facilities in Gaza.
US Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the need to avoid mass displacement and civilian casualties during her regional visit.
