GAZA: The health ministry in Gaza said Monday that around 26,637 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war started out between Hamas and Israel on October 7.
A health ministry statement said about 215 Palestinian people were killed during the past 24 hours. It added that around 65,387 have wounded since the war began in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) has warned that it would not be able to carry out operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February if funding were not resumed.
Many countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have stopped their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attacks.
UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency.
Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 27, 2024
A spokesperson for the agency said if the funding is not resumed, UNRWA will not be able to continue its services and operations across the region, including in Gaza, February.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also warned of a major disaster in Gaza as humanitarian assistance is being denied, seeking international action to prevent starvation and disease outbreaks among the 2 million people of the besieged enclave.
Fidan in a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart Igli Hasani in Tirana, said Humanitarian aid and medical supplies were not permitted to enter Gaza.
He stressed we are now confronted with the dire situation of Palestinians held hostage, grappling with the imminent threat of hunger and disease.
Germany condemns forced Palestinian emigration
In another development Germany has strongly condemned a meeting of Israeli ministers and far-right groups to promote Palestinian emigration and rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza.
German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said the participation of several Israeli government ministers in the conference, and their speeches were unacceptable.
Earlier, the International Court of Justice had ordered Israel to stop genocidal action in its war with Hamas and allow help into the Strip.
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. The Israeli raids have almost destroyed entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza.
