As Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip, the death toll in the small coastal enclave has surpassed 21,000. UN agencies are pleading for a humanitarian cease-fire as the situation deteriorates.
At least 21,320 Palestinian have been killed and more than 55,603 other wounded since Israel unleashed its air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said on Thursday.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the ministry said the Israeli bombardment has left 312 medical workers dead and rendered 23 hospitals across Gaza nonoperational.
“We call on international institutions and world countries to provide a number of field hospitals to respond to the needs of the large numbers of injured,” the ministry added.
Since the collapse of a week-long cease-fire in early December, Israel has ramped up its offensive in Gaza, expanding its operations in the south, where hundreds of thousands of people are displaced.
An estimated 1.9 million people have been displaced since October, the ministry said, adding that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic proportions.
The UN refugee agency (UNRWA) warned that 40% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million is now at risk of famine.
“#Gaza is grappling with catastrophic hunger,” UNRWA said in a Thursday post on the X platform. “The reality is, we need more aid. The only remaining hope is a humanitarian #ceasefire.”
“Every day is a struggle for survival, finding food and finding water,” UNRWA cited its Gaza director Thomas White as saying.
The rising death toll in Gaza comes as Israel vows to keep up its offensive until Hamas is completely eliminated.
“There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting,” Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi told reporters on Tuesday. “We will reach Hamas' leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months.”
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' cross-border assault during which militants of the group killed around 1,200 people and took another 240 hostage.
