WEB DESK
The death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours has reached 59 people, with 208 civilians hospitalised with injuries. The Gaza health ministry yesterday said that some victims are still under rubble and in the streets, where rescue and civil defence teams have yet to reach.
As per the health ministry, the total number of deaths since 7th October, 2023, has risen to 57,882, with 138,095 injured.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Fighters of the Palestinian movement Hamas infiltrated border areas and took more than 200 hostages.
Israeli authorities say that about 1,200 people were killed during the raid. In response, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip and announced a complete blockade of the enclave.
The fuel crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, threatening to bring all humanitarian operations to a halt and endangering the lives of everyone reliant on aid inside the enclave, UN agencies warned in a powerful joint statement on Saturday.
They warned that “without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely,” meaning “no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.”
Inadequate fuel injection
The agencies noted that for the first time in 130 days, a small quantity of fuel was allowed into Gaza this week. While welcome, the amount – just 75,000 litres over two days – is far from enough to meet the daily needs of the population and vital civilian aid operations.
Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York late Friday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the overall situation as “dire and worsening by the day.”
“Every day without a ceasefire brings more preventable deaths – children dying in pain, and hungry people shot while trying to reach the trickle of aid that is allowed in,” he said.