Amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported a rise in the death toll to 23,469 on Friday. In the last 24 hours, 112 Palestinians were killed, with 194 others injured, bringing the total casualties since October 7, 2023, to 59,604. Approximately 70% of the casualties are women and children. Urgent medical treatment is needed for 6,200 injured individuals outside Gaza.
Hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip are facing a critical situation due to overcrowding, with 15 out of 36 hospitals partially functional, as per the World Health Organization. Challenges include a shortage of medical staff, specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, along with insufficient medical supplies, fuel, food, and drinking water. Nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, with occupancy rates reaching 206% in inpatient departments and 250% in intensive care units.
The Health Ministry emphasized the need for urgent UN intervention to provide water, food, and shelter to the displaced population. However, only 21% of planned aid deliveries to the north of Wadi Gaza proceeded between January 1-11, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. As of this month, an estimated 1.9 million people, nearly 85% of Gaza's total population, are internally displaced, including many who have experienced multiple displacements, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
(With Agency Inputs)
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