GAZA CITY: The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip on Friday said that at least 23,700 Palestinian people, had been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardments since October 7.
The Gaza health ministry in its updated figures, reported that 60,005 persons, mostly women and children, have been wounded during the more than three months of intense fighting.
The ministry further said that scores remain trapped under the rubble.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with continuous Israeli strikes taking a severe toll on the civilian population. The Gaza Health Ministry’s data highlights the impact of war on women and children, underscoring the devastating consequences of the prolonged conflict.
Israel fails to uphold international humanitarian law: UN official
Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights office on Friday said that Israel failed to uphold international humanitarian law since it launched war on Gaza on Oct. 7.
Elizabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the rights body has repeatedly highlighted Israel’s recurring failures to uphold the fundamental of international humanitarian law in carrying out attacks.
She added that breaches of such obligations risk exposure to liability for war crimes.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank, where Abbas emphasized the need to halt Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
Blinken reiterated the US position supporting “tangible steps” towards the creation of a Palestinian state, emphasizing the goal of coexistence and security for both Israel and Palestine. As Blinken arrived at Abbas’s headquarters in Ramallah, protesters displayed signs calling for an end to the genocide and freedom for Palestine.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ deliberate targeting of press and media staff and their families in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The United Nations high commissioner also slammed Israeli ministers’ remarks on forcible transfer of the people of Palestine.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said he was “very disturbed” by remarks made by Israeli ministers on forcible transfer of the people of Palestine.
According to the UN figures, 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 percent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced by the end of 2023.
The figures include Palestinian people who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.
Qatar in November helped broker weeklong cease-fire of the Gaza war. During the pause in fighting 106 Israeli captives and 240 Palestinian prisoners were freed.
The Israeli raids have almost destroyed entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza. Israeli ground troops have been facing heavy resistance from Hamas fighters in the area.
