GAZA CITY: Said Al Zebda, the president of the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, was killed along with his wife and children in an Israeli air strike, the Gaza health ministry reported. The incident adds to the increasing toll on civilians as the conflict intensifies.
As an academic and a human being, I condemn Israel’s targeting of Palestinian academia, teachers, educational institutions, libraries and archives. Israel is attacking Gaza’s future. @ucu @WarwickUCU https://t.co/f5drC84i0N
— Nicola Pratt (@ncpratt) December 31, 2023
The Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that at the end of 2023, the total number of casualties in the occupied Palestinian territories reached 22,404, with 22,141 reported since October 7. The Gaza Strip accounted for approximately 98 percent of the casualties, including around 9,000 children and 6,450 women. In the occupied West Bank, 319 Palestinians were killed, including 111 children and four women.
Civilian Casualties in Gaza
The grim statistics also highlight the impact on journalists, with more than 100 media professionals killed. Additionally, over 7,000 people are missing in Gaza, with 67 percent being women and children.
The UN agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees notes the growing strain on facilities in the north, which are reaching capacity rapidly. Many people are seeking refuge outside these facilities, including parks and open areas, with some resorting to sleeping in their cars.
Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for the UN agency, provided distressing details, stating, “Our facilities, yes they have been hit. We have recorded 180 hits on our facilities, some were directly hit… At least 300 people who were sheltering in these facilities got killed, and around 1,000 were injured.”
