GAZA, Nov 3 (NNN-XINHUA/MA’AN/WAFA) – The death toll among Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza has now exceeded 9,000, since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, on Oct 7, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said, yesterday.
Ministry spokesman, Ashraf al-Qedra, said at a press conference that, the death toll rose to 9,061, including 3,760 children and 2,326 women, while the number of injured surpassed 32,000.
He said, Israeli forces carried out 15 attacks in the past 24 hours, killing 256 people and wounding hundreds others.
The government media office in Gaza said, Israel has dropped more than 10,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its offensive, and estimated that the amount of explosives used by Israel has exceeded 25,000 tonnes, or reached nearly 70 tonnes per square kilometre.
On Wednesday, at least 320 foreign citizens on an initial list of 500, as well as, dozens of severely injured Gazans, crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.
The Egyptian Health Ministry said, some of the evacuees had been transferred to the Al-Arish and Bir Al-Abd hospitals in North Sinai, adding that, quarantine doctors at the Rafah crossing conducted medical examinations for 117 foreign nationals, including 35 children who received necessary vaccinations.
“All cases are stable and receiving superior medical care from the medical teams at the crossing or inside the hospitals,” the ministry said.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to climb as hospitals and refugee shelters are hit. Nearly 70 percent of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women. Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation pleads, while reporting that, nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza, in just three weeks.
This surpasses the number of children killed annually, across the world’s conflict zones, since 2019, Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the United Nations (UN) Agency for Palestine Refugees, said on Monday. “This cannot be ‘collateral damage,'” he noted.
On Oct 28, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that calls for “an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce, leading to a cessation of hostilities,” including the protection of civilians, the protection of humanitarian personnel and facilities, and the “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians being illegally held captive.
The resolution was adopted with 120 votes in favour, 14 votes against, and 45 abstentions. The United States and Israel voted against the draft resolution.
Earlier, on Oct 16, the United States voted against a Russian-drafted resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and again vetoed a Brazilian-drafted resolution that would have called for humanitarian pauses in Gaza two days later.
Despite international calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, Israel continued heavy bombings on the densely populated Gaza Strip and intensified its ground offensive, sending troops deep into Palestinian territory.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said, its soldiers engaged in “fierce battles” with Hamas “deep in the Gaza Strip,” adding that, Israeli troops attacked hundreds of military targets of Hamas, and killed “numerous” Hamas militants.
Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant said, during a visit of armoured troops on the Gaza border that, Israel would continue coordinated strikes on Gaza from the air, ground and sea.”
On the diplomatic front, Bolivia has severed its diplomatic ties with Israel. Meanwhile, Jordan, Chile, and Colombia have recalled their ambassadors.– NNN-XINHUA/MA’AN/WAFA
