Israeli forces have killed at least 17,177, people, including 7,112 children and 4,885 women, in Gaza since 7 October, according to a statement from the health ministry in Gaza on Thursday.
It added that from Wednesday to Thursday morning, 350 Palestinians have been killed.
More than half of the said casualties were women and children and it did not take into account that at least 46, 000 people have been injured and at least 7,600 people are missing, the statement added.
The UN said 1.87 million people – more than 80% of Gaza’s population – have been driven from their homes in the past two months.
Many families have been displaced multiple times to avoid the Israeli advance, and are living in tents and overcrowded makeshift shelters.
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Footage published by the military correspondent of Israel’s Channel 11 shows Israeli forces deliberately stripping dozens of Palestinian civilian men naked during their arrest in northern Gaza.
“The (Israeli army) arrested dozens of men who surrendered and raised their hands,” said Itay Blumental on X. “Now they are checking to see if any of them are terrorists or Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives.”
A Palestinian man trapped in Khalifa School in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army is surrounding the school from all sides, which is hosting about 7,000 displaced people.
“Their snipers are on top of several buildings opposite the school,” the unnamed Palestinian man said.
He went on to say that many people inside the school have been killed and that they will be buried in the school grounds due to the siege.
Most vulnerable people killed
Al Jazeera news network reported that women and children get the lion’s share of the devastation and the suffering.
It added that 13 people were reported killed yesterday in Khan Younis, in an area very close to Nasser Hospital.
“This morning, a school was targeted in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, where a group of displaced people were running for their lives under heavy artillery shelling and air strikes, trying to get to the school to use as a shelter. Right now, Israeli tanks are encircling that particular school and hitting it directly with heavy bombs.
“The sheer amount of devastation caused by this war is beyond imagination. There are entire areas that have been burned down beyond recognition here in Rafah. Palestinians have poured into Rafah, taking it as a refuge. It is running out of space, running out of basic needs and basic supplies that could help people survive.”
Again, Israeli forces have struck the al-Awda mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp, close to facilities sheltering civilians in northern Gaza.A video verified by Al Jazeera shows a thick cloud of smoke billowing into the sky as people rushed to the site to rescue survivors. The building appeared pulverised.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, UN Aid chief, Martin Griffiths said the international humanitarian community has “a single, clear message: This has to stop immediately.”
The UN humanitarian coordinator, who is due to provide an update on the situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories later today, also reiterated his call for a ceasefire starting immediately.
In the same vein, Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, said the “practice of medicine is under attack” in Gaza.
“As a practising medical doctor, I cannot fathom what my Gazan colleagues are enduring. They are working while their colleagues and loved ones are under attack. Many have been killed while treating their patients,” Mofokeng said in a statement.
The UN expert also reiterated her calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory.
“We bear witness to a shameful war on healthcare workers. This war is raging because of a lack of political leadership. End the war on Gaza, and end it now,” she stated.
