'Israel' commits several massacres across Gaza, death toll exceeds 20K

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
22 Dec 2023 12:44
4 Shares

Dozens were killed, and many more injured, in "Israel's" attacks on Gaza on Friday, while survivors face hunger and disease among the aggressive blockade of their towns.

Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at the hospital Rafah, southern Gaza, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (AP)

The Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the ongoing Israeli genocide, on its 77th day, has killed over 20,000 martyrs and wounded 53,320 Palestinians, 70% of whom are women and children.

In just the past 48 hours, the Ministry announced that the Israeli forces, during a media blackout, killed 390 Palestinians and injured 734 others in the Strip.

In Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike targeted a civilian home, killing six and injuring others. The Nasser Hospital had received several bodies and dozens of injuries on its grounds as a result of the continuous bombardment of residential and civilian areas.

Israeli airstrikes also hit the al-Nuseirat camp, killing several martyrs and injuring others.

In addition, eight martyrs were killed, and several other citizens were injured in an Israeli shelling that targeted two houses in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Three of them were in a house belonging to the Duhair family, and they were all transferred to Al-Kuwait Hospital in Rafah.

'Israel' turns Jabalia into a mass grave

In Northern Gaza, in the Jabalia refugee camp, Israeli attacks killed a young girl and injured several other Palestinians as well.

Rescue and ambulance teams retrieved the bodies of nine martyrs, including a mother and her five daughters, as a result of the shelling of their home. The toll of martyrs in the town and its camp over the past 24 hours has risen to about 30, with dozens more wounded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported receiving dozens of calls about the shelling of a house in the Nazzala area in Jabalia, with reports of martyrs and wounded. However, rescue teams were unable to reach them.

The Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza noted that the martyrs' bodies are at risk of decomposing in the streets due to the complete destruction of Jabalia, which renders any sort of mobility from inside it impossible.

This is how the Jabalia refugee camp in #Gaza looks like under the non-stop Israeli strikes that are targeting residential buildings full of entire families and bloodlines. pic.twitter.com/hb1gzl48jx
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 20, 2023

Earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the Israeli occupation forces are still besieging their Jabalia ambulance center in the northern Gaza Strip, “posing a threat to the safety” of 127 people, including paramedics, volunteers, and their families.

Health hazards on the rise

Meanwhile, all hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are out of service, with only 9 hospitals out of 36 operating in the southern part of the Strip, according to the World Health Organization.

Furthermore, children in Gaza are at risk of death due to severe malnutrition, starvation, and dehydration. Food rationing has become insignificant, with families being unable to obtain a single meal. Others are resorting to unhealthy and unsafe ways of lighting fires for cooking, increasing the risks of disease.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor published a new study on Tuesday, revealing distressing levels of starvation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The study revealed that 71% of the Gaza population is grappling with acute hunger, while 98% is dealing with insufficient food intake. Additionally, 64% have turned to eating fruits, wild or raw food, and expired items as a means of alleviating hunger.