Ongoing Israeli Assault Exacerbates Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The ongoing military aggression by Israel in Gaza has drawn widespread international condemnation, despite repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire by the United Nations Security Council. Since the start of the campaign on October 7, 2023, local health authorities report that nearly 38,200 Palestinians have been killed, and over 87,900 have been injured. However, a recent report by the British medical journal The Lancet suggests that these numbers are likely significantly underestimated, with the real death toll potentially reaching as high as 186,000, including those still missing under the rubble.
The relentless bombardment has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins, with the population suffering from severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies due to Israel's crippling blockade. The humanitarian situation has been further aggravated by the ongoing escalation of the onslaught and the displacement of over a million Palestinians who had sought refuge in southern Gaza, only to face renewed violence by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has announced that all its medical centers and clinics in Gaza City have been forced to cease operations due to the evacuations ordered by the IOF. This marks a severe blow to Gaza's already strained healthcare system, as the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, another key medical facility in Gaza City, has also been forced to shut down following intense IOF artillery fire in its vicinity.
Under international law, these medical facilities are protected, and attacks on them could constitute war crimes. The targeting of civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship, has been a recurring pattern throughout the IOF's nine-month merciless campaign on Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen, with the local population facing dire shortages of essential resources and the ongoing threat of violence. The international community must urgently intervene to put an end to the Israeli military aggression and provide much-needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.