On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza made a distressing announcement, reporting that a total of 10,328 individuals have lost their lives since the commencement of the Israeli ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, with a particularly heart-wrenching statistic of 4,237 being children.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, conveyed this grievous information through a statement released on Tuesday.
The ministry disclosed that the Israeli army had launched 21 attacks in the past few hours, resulting in the tragic demise of 548 people in Gaza. The statement also revealed that 25,956 civilians had suffered severe injuries in the Israeli assaults.
Al-Qudra further lamented that among the casualties, there were 2,719 women and 631 elderly individuals who lost their lives since the initiation of the ground invasion in Gaza. In addition to the devastating loss of life, 192 health personnel have tragically perished, and 40 ambulances have been destroyed thus far in the course of the conflict.
The ministry said, "As many as 2,450 persons are missing since the start of the aggression, including 1,350 children who are still under the rubble.”
The Ministry of Health further accused the Israeli army of reiterating its threat to the Al-Rantisi Specialised Hospital for Children, demanding its immediate evacuation, a move that places the lives of sick and wounded children in jeopardy.
According to the statement, numerous deceased and injured individuals remain stranded on the roads between the governorates of northern and southern Gaza Strip. Regrettably, the Israeli army is obstructing the arrival of ambulances to evacuate them.
The statement urgently implored the International Committee of the Red Cross to take immediate action to coordinate and escort ambulances for the evacuation of both the martyrs and the wounded from the perilous passages that the Israeli army has created, forcing citizens to traverse them from the northern to the southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health also called upon the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to promptly activate international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Their aim should be to safeguard the health system, support its emergency medical services, address its fuel needs, strengthen its capabilities, and enable it to perform its crucial functions in saving the lives of countless sick and injured individuals.
Additionally, the statement appealed to all relevant parties to immediately establish a secure humanitarian corridor for the delivery of medical supplies, fuel, and medical personnel. This corridor is equally vital for the safe exit of thousands of wounded individuals, seeking to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation.
(With Agency Inputs)
