11,320 lives lost amid intense fighting in Gaza

AFP |  Gaza

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Gaza government said yesterday the death toll from fighting between Israeli troops and their fighters in the Palestinian territory had reached 11,320.

The dead included 4,650 children and 3,145 women, according to the government, which has struggled to keep an exact toll of the dead amidst intense urban combat in northern Gaza.

The head of the UN said yesterday he was “deeply disturbed by the horrible situation” in Gaza hospitals, as the facilities struggle without power and with mounting numbers of decomposing bodies during the Israeli bombardment of the territory.

“The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the horrible situation and dramatic loss of life in several hospitals in Gaza,” Antonio Guterres’s spokesman said in a statement.

“In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”

Hamas denounced Israeli army claims that a discarded baby bottle, makeshift toilet, and bullet-scarred motorbike were evidence they held hostages inside a Gaza hospital.

On Monday evening, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops “found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages” in the basement of Al-Rantisi children’s hospital in Gaza City.

The Gaza health ministry said the objects merely showed the basement was used by residents fleeing fighting.