Image Credits - Diakonia
The Gaza Strip continues to suffer under relentless Israeli airstrikes, with at least 25 Palestinians killed in the last 24 hours. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that since October 7, Israeli forces have killed 1.8 percent of Gaza’s population, with 75 per cent of the victims being under the age of 30. The ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians, forcing them to flee Khan Younis and sleep on sidewalks and streets without access to food or water.
The situation has also escalated beyond Gaza, with Hezbollah firing a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, targeting several towns as tensions in the Middle East rise. This act of aggression has intensified concerns about the potential for a broader regional conflict.
In response to the continued violence, Hamas has urged the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to submit a concrete plan for implementing the ceasefire proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden. A Hamas representative stressed the need for action rather than further negotiations, urging the international community to prioritize ending the bloodshed in Gaza.
The human toll of this conflict is staggering. At least 39,897 Palestinians have been killed, with 92,152 others wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. The attacks on October 7 led by Hamas resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,139 people in Israel, with more than 200 taken captive.
Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has come under fire for his inflammatory remarks. Smotrich accused EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell of supporting Hamas and the so-called “Iranian axis of evil,” suggesting that they pose a threat to Western society.
The conflict in Gaza continues to claim lives, as evidenced by a recent Israeli airstrike on Gaza City that killed three civilians near the Badr Mosque in the Zeitoun neighborhood. The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed the deaths, highlighting the ongoing devastation in the enclave. The international community remains deeply divided on how to address the crisis, with calls for a ceasefire growing louder amid the rising death toll and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.