Gaza death toll crosses 8,000 as Israeli attacks rise

Agencies | Gaza City                                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

With Israel taking its aerial and ground strikes into Gaza to the next level, the death toll in the Palestinian exclave crossed 8,000 by yesterday, mainly civilians and half of them children.

With most of the residents of Gaza facing acute shortage of basic necessities for life, people are bursting into aid centres and taking whatever they could find at the aid centres in the hope of keeping their families alive.

World leaders yesterday underlined the urgency of delivering aid to Gazans, even as protesters worldwide rallied for a ceasefire. Panic and fear have surged inside the Palestinian territory, where the UN says more than half of its 2.4 million residents are displaced and thousands of buildings destroyed.

Despite calls for a humanitarian truce, international outrage and the potential risk to hostages held in Gaza, Israel has intensified its attacks.

‘Catastrophic failing’

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron “stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza” during a conversation yesterday, the UK government said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the situation was “growing more desperate by the hour” as casualties increased and essential supplies of food, water, medicine and shelter dwindled.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said yesterday Israel was repeatedly bombing around Al-Quds hospital in central Gaza, causing damage and putting civilians at risk. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, voiced shock at the suffering in Gaza and urged all sides to de-escalate.