24 hours, 12 dead: UN sounds alarm over Gaza

Shafaq News– Gaza

Israel killed 12 people and wounded 18 others in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday, as the United Nations warned that the humanitarian crisis in the Strip is worsening.

In a statement, the ministry said two bodies were recovered from rubble, adding that an unknown number of victims remain trapped under debris or on roads, with rescue and civil defense teams unable to reach them, bringing the cumulative toll since the start of the war on October 7, 2023 to 71,455 killed and 171,347 wounded.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Israeli strikes in recent hours violated the ceasefire agreement and coincided with announcements on a technocratic government, a move toward a second phase of the deal and a US-backed “peace council.”

Read more: Gaza Ceasefire - Phase 1: What we know so far

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Project Services warned that conditions in Gaza are deteriorating rapidly after months of widespread destruction. Its executive director, Jorge Moreira da Silva, estimated that the territory is now covered by more than 60 million tons of rubble and that clearing it could take more than seven years.

Heavy rain and cold weather this week have compounded the suffering of civilians who are exhausted, displaced, and traumatized, he explained, noting that homes, schools, clinics, roads and water and electricity systems across Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged. Children have been out of school for a third consecutive year and risk becoming a “lost generation,” he added.

To mitigate the crisis, a steady flow of fuel is critical to keep hospitals running, maintain water and sanitation systems, and allow food aid distribution and emergency communications to function, according to the body’s head, as well as the opening of all crossings and corridors and fewer restrictions on items needed to repair basic services.