Palestinians search for casualties under the rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 14, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)
Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip say Israeli bombardment of the besieged coastal enclave has claimed the lives of more than 400 Palestinians and wounded nearly 1,500 others in the past 24 hours alone, as the war enters its ninth day.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported early on Sunday that this includes the loss of over 80 lives and the injury of around 250 people in Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip as a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted ten inhabited homes.
In Gaza City, some 260 civilians were killed as heavy Israeli bombardment struck the neighborhoods of Tal al-Hawa, al-Rimal, Shejaiya and al-Zaytoun as well as the al-Shati refugee camp.
An additional 10 Palestinians were killed in the town of Beit Lahia, while 20 others were killed in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis. Another 40 Palestinians lost their lives in the northern Jabalia refugee camp.
The report noted that the strikes only resulted in a huge loss of life, but also caused enormous damage to the infrastructure of the targeted areas, with dozens of homes and residential buildings reduced to rubble.
Over 40 Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli strikes across Gaza
Meanwhile, at least 41 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed by renewed Israeli air strikes across the southern Strip later on Sunday, according to Palestinian media outlets.
In the city of Rafah, an Israeli air strike that targeted a residence killed at least 13 individuals, including children. Many others were wounded, with some still buried under the rubble.
Another 15 Palestinian civilians were killed after an Israeli strike as they targeted a residential building in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City.
In central Gaza, an Israeli strike that struck a building killed at least seven Palestinians in the vicinity of a hospital.
Another six Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike in the town of al-Zawaida in the central region of the enclave.
The death toll of Palestinians killed since Israel began the bombing campaign in Gaza on October 7 has risen to 2,329, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the territory. At least 9,714 Palestinians were also injured.
Ice cream trucks being used to store bodies
Additionally, ice cream trucks and refrigerated food vehicles are being used to store bodies as hospital morgues in Gaza are overwhelmed by the number of people killed in Israeli air attacks.
Pregnant Gazan women faced with impossible choice: NGO
An international non-governmental organization also expressed serious concern over threats facing pregnant Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip as they are facing a risk of forcible displacement amid threats of heavy Israeli bombardment.
Riham Jafari, Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication for ActionAid Palestine said, "As thousands of Gazans flee in fear for their lives - abandoning their homes and communities, it is deeply concerning to witness the threats to target hospitals and critical infrastructure, an egregious violation of international law and a blatant disregard for human lives."
"We are particularly concerned about the devastating impact on the 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza right now and newborn babies, who are all left without essential medical care and the safety they deserve as they make the impossible choice of fleeing with no guarantee of safety or remaining at risk of almost certain death," she added.
ActionAid called for the immediate reversal of the evacuation order and the guarantee of the full protection and safety of civilians.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/27771
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