Israeli air raids have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including children, across northern, central, and southern Gaza.
Palestinian officials and media sources have reported the grim toll as the besieged territory endures its 44th day of relentless bombardment, as per Aljazeera.
Israeli Air Raids Claim Lives in 44-Day Gaza Conflict
The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed enclave reported that at least 31 individuals lost their lives in Israeli attacks on the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps in central Gaza on Sunday. The toll includes a woman and her child who were killed in strikes in southern Khan Younis city, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Further adding to the tragedy, Israeli forces shot and killed two individuals, including a disabled man, during incursions in the occupied West Bank. Issam al-Fayed, a 46-year-old disabled man, Omar Laham, age 20, was slain at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, and Wafa reports that he perished in the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehe.
The death toll from the ongoing conflict between Israeli troops and Hamas militants in the Palestinian territory, as announced by Gaza's Hamas government on Sunday, has reached a staggering 13,000 since the war began on October 7. Israel claims that Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and captured approximately 240 more as hostages during their surge over the militarized Gaza border.
AFP reports that, according to the Hamas government, more than 5,500 children and 3,500 women are among the dead, with an additional 30,000 people wounded. The intensity of the fighting has made it challenging to recover bodies, and the health ministry acknowledges the difficulty in providing exact tolls.
As the conflict rages on, the international community expresses deep concern over the devastating impact on civilians. The White House announced on Sunday that it is investigating a devastating blast at a United Nations-run school and shelter in northern Gaza. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer stated on CNN's "State of the Union" that if harm was done to innocent civilians sheltering at a UN site, it would be "totally unacceptable," according to Punch Newspapers.
UN Chief Shocked as Two Gaza Schools Hit Amid Conflict
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his shock at two UN schools being struck in less than 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians seek shelter at United Nations facilities throughout Gaza due to intensified fighting.
A spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which runs schools in Palestinian refugee camps and serves as the main UN relief agency in Gaza, confirmed the strike on Saturday. This marked the second time in 24 hours that a UNRWA school in northern Gaza was struck.
The Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a mediator in the negotiations, mentioned on Sunday that the challenges in the talks to free Hamas' hostages in Gaza for a ceasefire are minor, expressing confidence in reaching a deal that ensures the safety of the people.
As diplomatic efforts continue, the toll on civilians, especially in the wake of strikes on UN schools serving as shelters, underscores the urgency for a resolution to the conflict and a cessation of violence in the region. The international community closely watches the situation, hoping for a swift and peaceful solution to the longstanding tensions in the area, The New York Times reported.
