The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the death toll of the Israeli bombing of Gaza which began on Saturday, and has continued non-stop, has reached 1,537, with 7,212 injured. 60% of those killed are women and children.
In the West Bank, 32 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire and more than 600 wounded.
In Israel, where Hamas fighters invaded 50 military sites on Saturday in a surprise attack, the largest since the Israeli occupation began, the death toll was declared to be over 600, with over 2,000 wounded and dozens of civilians and soldiers being held hostage in Gaza. This is the largest-ever attack by Palestinian resistance fighters inside Israel, since Israel was established on the land of Palestine in 1948.
Of the Israelis who have been identified so far, 216 were soldiers or border police, 105 were civilians, including 5 children age 5 – 15. Initial reports claiming that babies had been killed by the Hamas fighters were later retracted, as no evidence was found of any babies having been killed.
In Gaza, however, as the Israeli airforce, the fourth largest in the world, continues to drop bombs on the civilian population of Gaza as collective punishment for the attack by Hamas fighters, dozens of babies and hundreds of young children have been killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
According to the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, for the sixth consecutive day, Israel continued to attack Gaza with enormous and destructive weaponry, bombing and razing entire residential buildings with their residents still inside, destroying streets and infrastructure, and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes, especially in the eastern areas of the Strip.
As Israel intensifies its strikes all over the Gaza Strip, there is no longer a safe place to take refuge, not even the coordinated shelters, as many have been bombed. Intense Israeli air, land, and sea strikes have killed hundreds of civilians and injured thousands, while a large number of those killed remain under the rubble, unable to be recovered by rescue teams.
The following incidents highlight the most severe Israeli attacks carried out in Gaza between midday on 11 October and midday on 12 October 2023, as monitored and documented jointly by Al-Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights:
- In the Northern Gaza District, Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, destroying two houses in Beit Lahiya owned by the Nsair and Al-Bes families with occupants still inside. They also targeted residential areas in Jabaliya, Al-Tawam, Al-Amoudi, and Al-Karama neighborhoods, numerous missiles being employed without prior warning. These attacks killed 55 Palestinians, including 10 women and 19 children, and destroyed numerous houses.
- In Gaza District, dozens of airstrikes were launched from Israeli warplanes on residential neighborhoods, accompanied by intense shelling by field artillery and naval vessels. The bombing destroyed numerous houses, and five residential compounds were targeted with their residents still inside. Furthermore, several roads were bombed, including the street behind the Al-Quds Hospital, in the Tal Al-Hawa area. The attacks killed 78 Palestinians, including 40 children and 16 women. Additionally, in the past few hours, the bodies of 28 Palestinians, including those of seven children and two women, were received by Al-Shifa Hospital; these were the bodies of people killed by Israeli attacks in various areas of Gaza City, with some recovered from the rubble of previously destroyed houses.
- In the Middle Area District, Israeli warplanes conducted multiple airstrikes on residential neighborhoods, houses, and agricultural lands, accompanied by intense shelling from field artillery and naval vessels. The bombing was particularly heavy in the three densely populated refugee camps of Al-Bureij, Al-Nusairat, and Deir Al-Balah. The intense airstrikes resulted in significant damage to various infrastructure and electricity networks, and considerable destruction to multi-story houses and residential apartments belonging to the Al-Bardawil, Baraka, and Abu Dayya families.
These attacks killed 35 Palestinians, including 14 children and seven women, with dozens more injured. Civil defense and medical teams are still searching for missing people under the rubble. Furthermore, Israeli naval shelling caused extensive damage to Gaza’s Fishermen Syndicate building and fishermen’s facilities. Some houses have not yet been reached by rescue teams due to limited resources.
- In Khan Younis, Israeli forces targeted several homes and residential apartments belonging to the Al-Bashiti, Al-Najjar, Abu Al-Rish, Abu Daqqa, and Abu Mustafa families, while their residents were still inside. The attacks killed 36 Palestinians, including 17 children and eight women. Civil defense and medical teams are still searching for missing people under the rubble. Israeli forces continued to target entire residential neighborhoods with aerial and artillery bombardment in the eastern areas of Khan Younis, including in Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira, Abasan al-Jadida, Al-Qarara, and Al-Fukhari. Most of the residents of those areas had already left their homes earlier having received warnings and orders to evacuate. The attacks led to extensive destruction in several residential neighborhoods, including a significant number of homes, shops and infrastructure. Israeli naval shelling also continued in Khan Younis port, destroying Palestinian fishing boats, equipment, and other fishermen facilities.
- In Rafah District, Israeli warplanes conducted numerous airstrikes targeting several houses and a vocational training center. The airstrikes, which were accompanied by intense shelling from artillery in the east and from naval vessels to the west of the city, targeted residential neighborhoods in the densely populated Rafah refugee camp. The houses of the Zannoun, Al-Ajez, Shallouf, Olwan, Abu Shaar, Baroud, Ahmed, Fujo, Abu Marzouq, Al-Rakhawi, Ashour, and Abu Ghali families were targeted and destroyed with their residents inside. The attacks killed 25 Palestinians, including nine children and four women. Civil defense and medical teams are still searching for missing people under the rubble.
According to UN estimates, more than 340,000 people have been internally displaced, with over 218,600 seeking shelter in more than 92 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip. Human rights organizations continue to receive complaints from many people in shelters regarding the lack of services and necessities such as bedding and food. An urgent response from the UN is required to ensure the provision of basic needs for the survival of the people.
UNRWA has reported direct and collateral damage to at least 21 of its facilities, including schools sheltering displaced civilians. Further, 11 UNRWA staff members, including five teachers, a doctor, an engineer, and a psychologist, have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli offensive.
The pre-existing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been greatly exacerbated by Israel’s recent military attacks and the closure, which obstructs the supply of fuel, food, and medicine, in violation of international norms and treaties.
Images released by the Israeli military show tanks lined up by the border with Gaza, and hundreds of bombs loaded and ready to be dropped on the people of Gaza.
