KEY POINTS
- Israeli strikes kill at least 46 more Palestinians in Gaza
- Total death toll since October 7, 2023, reaches 50,695
- Five people were killed in a strike on displaced persons’ tents in Al-Mawasi
- Gaza’s Health Ministry warns that 602,000 children are at risk of paralysis due to a blockade on polio vaccines
- King Abdullah II, President el-Sisi, and President Macron to hold talks in Cairo over the Gaza crisis
GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 46 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged territory.
The latest fatalities, including 19 in Khan Younis and a Palestinian journalist, bring the total death toll since October 7, 2023 to 50,695. Over 115,300 others have been injured in the ongoing Israeli assault, the health ministry said on Sunday.
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that five people died and more than 20 were wounded when Israeli warplanes bombed tents housing displaced persons in Al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, a zone previously designated as a humanitarian area by Israel.
The Ministry warned that “many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them”.
The number of people killed since Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18, after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire, reached at 1,309.
Medical sources cited by Al Jazeera said that Sunday’s toll was at least 46, suggesting the numbers released by the ministry may be conservative.
The continuing offensive has also caused widespread destruction in Rafah and Beit Lahiya.
Killing of 15 medics in Gaza
Meanwhile, new video evidence published by The New York Times has cast doubt on Israel’s account of the killing of 15 emergency workers in Rafah on March 23.
The footage showed clearly marked ambulances and emergency vehicles approaching the scene with flashing lights before being targeted.
Israeli troops later buried the bodies of eight Red Crescent workers, six Civil Defence personnel, and a UN staffer in a shallow grave, according to officials from the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Following the footage’s release, the Israeli military admitted that its forces had “mistakenly” identified the emergency workers as a threat and announced an investigation.
Hamas, the Palestinian group governing Gaza, has called for an independent international probe, saying the video “shatters the occupation’s fabricated ‘suspicious movement’ lies” and constitutes evidence of a “premeditated murder under international law”.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry issued a dire warning about a looming public health crisis, stating that 602,000 children were at risk of “permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities” due to Israel’s continued blockade on polio vaccines.
The ministry described the situation as a “time bomb” and called on international health agencies to pressure Israel to allow vaccine entry.
The Israeli military has also launched a new ground offensive in the southern Gaza “Morag Axis,” raising fears of reoccupation and further division of the territory.
Talks in Cairo over Gaza
Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan will travel to Cairo on Monday to join Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on the escalating situation in Gaza, Jordan’s Petra news agency reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington on Sunday to meet with US President Donald Trump.
Topics of discussion will reportedly include trade tariffs, efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israel-Turkey relations, the Iranian nuclear issue, and the International Criminal Court’s war crimes accusations against Netanyahu.
Calls for ceasefire
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In a statement, the agency said more than 55,000 people have been reported killed and around 1.9 million displaced. “People in Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering,” it said.
UNRWA also reported that over 142,000 people were newly displaced between 18 and 23 March following the collapse of the ceasefire.
Israel has blocked aid deliveries into Gaza for over a month, withholding essentials such as food, water, medicine, and fuel, Al Jazeera reported.
