War on Gaza: Four percent of Palestinians in Gaza dead, wounded or missing since war began
At least 187 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israeli bombardment over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday.
That brought the total death toll in the enclave to more than 21,500 since war broke out on 7 October.
Almost 56,000 have been wounded by Israeli attacks during that period, and 7,000 are missing - believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
That means that nearly four percent of the besieged enclave's population has been killed, wounded, or missing since the war began.
The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa) said on Friday that 308 people sheltering in its facilities had been killed and 1,095 injured since 7 October.
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The statement came just hours after a UN aid convoy was fired on by Israeli soldiers.
Thomas White, director of Unrwa's affairs in Gaza, said no one was injured in the incident but a vehicle sustained damage.
"Our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage," White said. "Aid workers should never be a target."
Earlier on Friday morning, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli fighter jets bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least 20 people. Dozens more were missing and feared dead under the rubble.
Increased Israeli attacks in recent days on central regions have forced an estimated 100,000 Palestinians to flee to Rafah, the Gaza Strip's most densely populated area, according to the UN.
Their relocation to Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza, has "further exacerbated conditions related to the already overcrowded space and limited resources", it said.
'Deadliest year' in the West Bank on record
Elsewhere, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man, identified by the health ministry as Amr Abu Hussein, east of Dura city near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Wafa news agency reported that Israeli forces fired at Abu Hussein in his vehicle, leaving him bleeding without medical assistance.
Israeli authorities said he was shot after a car-ramming attack in which at least four Israelis were wounded.
Unrwa posted on X that 2023 had been the "deadliest year" in the West Bank on record, with more than 50o Palestinians killed.
In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinian worshippers attempting to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday.
Israeli authorities have continued to limit Palestinian access to the mosque since the war on Gaza began, often using force to disperse them and turning them away at checkpoints.
Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pushed back against pressure by the US to release Palestinian tax funds withheld by Israel, saying on social media that "not a single shekel" will be transferred while he remains in charge.
"We have a lot of respect for the US, our best ally in the world, and for President Biden, who is a true friend of Israel," Smotrich said in a post on X.
"But we will never put our destiny in the hands of foreigners, and as long as I am finance minister, not a single shekel will go to the Nazi terrorists in Gaza. This is not an extreme position. This is a life-saving and reality-based position."
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