Israeli strikes on Gaza school kill 10 as health crisis deepens under siege
Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians in air strikes on a school in the Gaza Strip on Monday, in the latest breach of the October ceasefire intended to end the two-year genocide.
Local media reported that Israeli-backed armed gangs raided a school east of the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, attempting to find and kidnap people.
Residents confronted the groups, sparking armed clashes.
During the clashes, Israeli fighter jets bombed the area, killing 10 people. Israel has routinely intervened when its allied armed groups come under attack in Gaza.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed on Tuesday that 10 people had been killed by Israeli forces over the past 24 hours, with an additional 144 wounded.
On Sunday, seven more Palestinians were killed, including a UN contractor working as a driver for a World Health Organisation (WHO) truck that was targeted.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “devastated” by the killing, which he said was being investigated.
Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the ceasefire signed with Hamas five months ago, including with air strikes, artillery shelling and gunfire targeting civilians.
Israeli forces have killed at least 733 people since then, including 223 children.
Since the genocidal war began in October 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 72,300 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000.
The Israeli military also continues to impose strict restrictions on the entry of aid and goods into Gaza despite the ceasefire, as well as limiting travel to Egypt for patients and wounded individuals.
Following the killing of the WHO contractor on Monday, the UN agency suspended its facilitation of patient transfers from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing, further exacerbating the suffering of nearly 15,000 people in urgent need of evacuation.
Health crisis
The Palestinian health ministry warned that the medical crisis in Gaza is reaching a “catastrophic level” amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on medical aid and patient evacuations.
Shortages have reached critical levels, with only 50 percent of essential medicines available and over 70 percent of laboratory testing materials depleted.
Cancer services are among the hardest hit, with a 61 percent shortage of specialised medications affecting 4,100 patients. Primary care, neurology, nephrology, surgery and intensive care services face shortages exceeding 40 percent in essential drugs.
Open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterisations have been completely halted due to depleted resources, alongside an 89 percent shortage of ophthalmic surgical supplies.
Hospital bed capacity has fallen by more than 55 percent while the number of patients and casualties continues to rise.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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