GAZA CITY: Israeli tanks and warplanes relentlessly pounded Gaza on Tuesday, exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis as the United Nations (UN) described the region as ‘hell on earth’ due to Israeli bombardments. The ongoing Israeli bombardments have not only killed thousands of innocent Palestinians but have also severely disrupted aid distribution, leaving Gazans grappling with hunger and disease.
In Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza, where Israeli troops launched a storming operation last week, tank shelling is now concentrated in the city center. Residents report that the situation is dire, with fresh Israeli air strikes hitting residential blocks without warning. Tawfik Abu Breika, an elderly Palestinian, lamented the destruction and casualties, stating, “This is ethnic cleansing, complete destruction of the Gaza Strip to displace the whole population.”
In Rafah, bordering Egypt, 22 Palestinian people, including children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on houses overnight. The heavy shelling in Rafah, compounded by restrictions on movement and intensified bombings, has left residents in constant fear and desperation for basic necessities. Abu Khalil, a father of six, expressed the dire circumstances, saying, “At night, we can not sleep because of the Israeli bombing, and in the morning, we tour the streets looking for food for the children. There is no food. Israel kills us twice, once by bombs and once by hunger.”
The Israeli ground assault, initially confined to the north, has expanded to the southern half of the Gaza Strip since the collapse of a week-long truce at the beginning of December. With the majority of people already homeless due to bombings, hunger is now rampant, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports that half of Gaza’s population is starving.
Israeli Forces Storm Hospital in Northern Gaza
The Gaza health ministry reported that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza on Tuesday, rounding up males, including medical staff.
The UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) highlighted that limited aid distributions are taking place in the Rafah district, but in the rest of the Gaza Strip, aid distribution has largely stopped due to the intensity of Israeli bombardments and restrictions on movement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering a Gaza health ministry request for help with a potential evacuation of patients and staff from the hospital. The WHO warned on Sunday that the risk of disease in Gaza had grown, and the health system’s capacity had been reduced to a third of its pre-conflict levels.
Israeli military bombardments have taken a devastating toll, with over 18,412 Palestinians have been killed so far, mostly women and children, and nearly 50,000 wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry. The UN General Assembly is expected to pass a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire, reflecting the language previously blocked by a US veto in the Security Council.
