In One Massacre in Shujaiya: 50 Buildings Hit, Casualties in Hundreds

By Al Mayadeen English

The Government Media Office in Gaza warns that with the Israeli targeting of medical facilities and resources, the number of martyrs is expected to continue rising.

The Government Media Office in Gaza sounded the alarm on Saturday on the Israeli aggression on the Strip, warning that the occupation army has been conducting a genocidal war against the Palestinian people for 57 days, characterized by the deliberate and brutal killings of civilians, including children and women.

The government office emphasized that these crimes are carried out with full support and cover from the United States, highlighting Washington's weapons provisions to the entity since day 1 of the war, which included various types and classes of military hardware, munitions, missiles, and heavy bunker buster bombs with 2,000 pounds of explosive warheads each.

In a report published on Friday by The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper revealed that the US has supplied "Israel" so far with 73,000 bombs and shells.

The statement added that since the Israeli refusal to renew the temporary truce, about 200 Palestinians were killed (as of this morning), bringing the total number of martyrs to 15,207 in 1450 massacres, with expectations of a significant increase in these numbers.

Just on Saturday, the Israeli occupation military committed 9 horrible massacres, killing and wounding hundreds of Palestinians.

The Israeli occupation struck a residential block of over 50 residential buildings and houses in al-Shujaiya neighborhood earlier today, leading to hundreds of civilian casualties, including a large number of children and women.

Additionally, in Jabalia Refugee Camp, an Israeli strike on a six-story residential building sheltering displaced families in al-Falouja area resulted in the martyrdom of at least 100 civilians.

According to the media office, 70% of the martyrs who fell victim to the heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation since the start of the war were children and women, in addition to 280 health workers, 26 civil defense teams, and 76 journalists. Meanwhile, over 7500 people remain missing, either under the rubble or with unknown fates, and the number of injured has reached 40,650.

The statement also warned of the dire conditions in Gaza amid this ruthless war, including the halt of humanitarian and medical aid, supply stoppages, and fuel blockades.

The Israeli military's actions have resulted in a real humanitarian disaster, destroying 60% of homes and residential units in Gaza, the office added, which is especially disastrous with the onset of winter and the 300,000 housing units destroyed by the occupation army.

Furthermore, the statement pointed to the collapse of the healthcare sector in Gaza, particularly in the Central and North Gaza governorates, with hospitals destroyed and hundreds of medical staff and ambulances targeted.

The humanitarian situation has reached a catastrophic stage, with the Israeli military bombing dozens of homes simultaneously, causing hundreds of casualties, the office continued.

On basic rescue efforts, the statement said that relief and civil defense teams are unable to reach disaster and massacre areas, leading to increased casualties, as 80% of rescue vehicles were targeted and destroyed by the Israeli military, in addition to the blockade causing a lack of fuel for the remaining vehicles.

The statement also criticized the manipulation of public opinion by the Israeli military and its allies regarding aid, stressing that the aid received during the humanitarian truce barely met 1% of Gaza's immense needs, portending a real disaster threatening food security in the area.

In conclusion, the Gaza government demanded the daily entry of 1000 trucks of actual aid and supplies and a million liters of fuel to mitigate the effects of the genocidal war.

Diseases and infections spread in Gaza

In related news, Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, issued a warning earlier today about the escalating Hepatitis A outbreak in the region, emphasizing the overwhelming challenges faced by UNRWA schools-turned-shelters due to the extensive displacement in the southern areas.

In an interview for the BBC, White acknowledged the significant difficulties in maintaining sanitation within the shelters, where people are densely packed into classrooms, with an average of 150 individuals sharing a single bathroom.

"The risk of the disease is very present in Gaza at the present time," he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza emphasized that the prevalent risk of disease in Gaza is heightened by the fact that UNRWA schools, initially designed to accommodate 1,500 people, are currently hosting over 6,000 individuals in the southern region.

In the same context, the World Health Organization has repeatedly warned of the fast spread of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression that has disrupted health, water, and sanitation systems.

As the health situation continues to deteriorate, the WHO reported 111,000 cases of acute respiratory infection and 36,000 cases of diarrhea among children under five, among the displaced in Gaza, while most hospitals in the area have ceased operations due to the war.

It included intense overcrowding as another reason for "the rapid spread of infectious diseases," warning that "worrying trends are already emerging."