Israeli attacks have killed more than 200 Palestinians across Gaza over the last three days as the military continues to hit residential buildings, people gathering in the streets, marketplaces, and shelters.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said although Israel claims it is targeting Hamas fighters, most of the victims are innocent people.
“We are seeing women and children making up the vast majority of casualties,” he said.
Hospitals are overwhelmed by the steady stream of casualties, direct attacks on medical facilities, and severe shortages of supplies as Israel imposes a tight siege on the territory.
At the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, many injured people are dying before they can be treated.
Israeli forces are intensifying their siege of northern Gaza, and Palestinians there are battling to survive with little or no support. Rescuing people following the attacks is particularly challenging. Civil defence crews, along with volunteers, were seen working together to rescue people trapped and recover bodies from under rubble.
Israel’s war on Gaza has now killed at least 45,805 Palestinians and wounded 109,064 since October 7, 2023.
At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and about 250 were taken captive.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry has warned of a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies. “Stocks of 120 medicines, including 20 cancer treatments, are completely depleted in the ministry’s warehouses,” ministry official Wael al-Sheikh told the official Palestine TV. He said the ministry’s debt is nearing 3 billion shekels (approximately $800m), according to a report by the Anadolu news agency.
The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, now in its 15th month, has exacerbated the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) financial crisis, primarily due to increased Israeli deductions from Palestinian tax revenues.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been withholding approximately 45 percent of the monthly tax revenues, known in Palestine and Israel as maqasa, collected by the Israeli government on behalf of the PA on Palestinian imports and exports. Israel in return earns a 3 percent commission. The estimated monthly revenues total about $220m and represent the main source of income for the PA. (Agencies)
