Israeli strikes kill scores of Palestinians across Gaza
At least 25 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Saturday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
One of the strikes targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City’s eastern Tuffah neighbourhood, killing six people from two families - including a pregnant woman and children - and wounding 22 others.
Another Israeli air strike hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, in the southern region of Khan Younis, killing at least nine people and injuring 11 others.
Four more Palestinians were killed in two separate attacks on the northern town of Beit Lahia.
Palestinian health authorities said that at least 44 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza last year to 43,552.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
On Friday, Unicef said it had registered at least 64 attacks - almost two every day - on schools sheltering Palestinian families in Gaza during October.
Unicef also reported that "more than 95 percent of schools in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed" since the start of the war.
In a new report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said women and children make up nearly 70 percent of the thousands of fatalities it had managed to verify.
The report found that children aged five to nine made up the largest group of victims, with the youngest victim being a one-day-old boy and the oldest a 97-year-old woman.
The OHCHR also found that about 80 percent of all the verified deaths in Gaza occurred during Israeli attacks on residential buildings or similar housing.
On Friday, the Famine Review Committee (FRC) issued a rare alert, warning of a strong likelihood of imminent famine in parts of northern Gaza, where Israel has imposed a blockade and has carried out a new military campaign for over a month.
Israel said on Saturday that 11 aid trucks containing food, water and medical supplies reached the far north of Gaza on Thursday, including the Jabalia refugee camp, which has been heavily targeted by Israeli strikes since 5 October.
This marks the first time aid has reached northern Gaza since Israel began its offensive in the area.
Rights groups have accused Israel of using starvation as a tactic to force residents to leave northern Gaza as part of its strategy to clear the area and maintain permanent control.
The announcement comes days before a US-imposed deadline for Israel to improve aid deliveries across Gaza or face potential restrictions on military cooperation.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
