THERE are no safe zones they are zones of death,’ UNICEF global spokesman James Elder said, as 700 Palestinians were slaughtered in Israel’s genocidal bombing of Gaza yesterday.
Hundreds of women and children were massacred and injured in Israeli air-strikes throughout the day, as warplanes attacked houses in the massive Jabalia refugee camp.
Israeli military vehicles cut off roads between central and southern Gaza, blocking the road between Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern part of the enclave.
‘Everywhere you turn to, there are children with third-degree burns, shrapnel wounds, brain injuries and broken bones,’ said UNICEF’s Elder.
‘Mothers crying over children who look like they are hours away from death. It seems like a death zone right now,’ he said
Israel has killed more than 15,200 Palestinians in Gaza attacks since October 7, said the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
More than 3,000 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since October 7, said UN Human Rights Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Dr Ashraf al-Qudra, of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said four medical crews have been detained. The head of al-Shifa Hospital is among the healthcare professionals held by Israeli forces.
Al-Qudra also said 56 ambulances have been destroyed by Israel and the entire health sector is unable to provide necessary treatment as a result of a lack of medical equipment and staff.
‘We are attending to hundreds of victims on the floors of hospitals,’ he said. ‘Hospitals are helpless. They are overwhelmed as a result of the large number of victims.’
Al-Qudra said Israel is ‘wilfully targeting the remaining medical facilities in the north so residents are forced to move to the south’. He said only 403 patients have been allowed to leave Gaza for treatment.
‘We appeal to the world to put an end to this genocidal war on Gaza,’ he said. ‘We call on all parties to work towards providing a humanitarian corridor whereby fuel and medical teams are allowed in and victims are allowed outside.’
• An Israeli air strike yesterday targeting the neighbourhood of al-Faluja killed prominent Palestinian scientist Sufyan Tayeh and his family, the Palestinian Higher Education Ministry announced. Tayeh, who was president of the Islamic University of Gaza, was a leading researcher in physics and applied mathematics.