Israel has ramped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, reducing residential buildings to rubble and crushing families. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says its relief operations across the Gaza Strip will need to be sharply curtailed amid crippling Israeli airstrikes.
Hamas said Wednesday that Israel’s latest night-time air strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory killed at least 80 people. The loss of lives in Gaza can increase manifold once Israeli forces launch their expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas militants.
Hospitals in Gaza are doing their best to provide treatment to the wounded with diminishing resources.
The war, in its 19th day, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday that at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed and 17,439 others wounded. In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.
Israel’s war on Hamas erupted after the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas stormed across the Gaza border on October 7 and went on a rampage that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people. They abducted more than 220 hostages.