GAZA CITY: The local authorities in Gaza have confirmed that around 8,000 children and 6,200 women have been killed in the ongoing Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
A statement by the Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza on Friday said that 18,800 innocent Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza war. It said since the commencement of violence on October 7,51,000 Palestinians have also been injured by the Israeli army in the besieged enclave.
It said thousands are feared dead under the debris of bombed buildings as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 70th day.
According to the statement Israel has caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and huge destruction in Gaza. 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 a minimum. Israel has been deliberately targeting medical facilities in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed his stubbornness and said to continue the offensive against the innocent people of Palestine while Foreign Minister Eli Cohen asserted that the war would continue with or without international support.
US extends presence of warships near Gaza
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks near Israel as its war on besieged Gaza continues.
Earlier Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Israel and the United States cannot eliminate Palestinian group Hamas. He pointed out that Israel could only free captives in Gaza through a political solution to the conflict.
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.
According to the UN some 1.87 million Palestinians, over 80 percent of Gaza’s population, have left their homes.
The war was paused for seven days as a result of a Qatar-US brokered deal during which Hamas released 105 captives, including 80 in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
