On day 319 of the genocide in Gaza, the total number of Palestinians killed since the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip started on October 7 has risen to 40,173, in addition to 92,857 injuries, according to the daily report published by the Health Ministry in Gaza on Tuesday.

"Israel" committed three massacres in 24 hours, killing 34 Palestinians and injuring 114 others.

While some were transported to partially functioning hospitals, many victims remain trapped beneath the rubble with rescue crews unable to reach them.

In a related development, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported it is awaiting for the arrival of vaccines for its polio eradication campaign. To ensure the successful vaccination of every child, the Ministry emphasized the need for safe conditions, which necessitated a ceasefire during the campaign's implementation.

It is worth noting that the international community and health organizations are being urged to intervene urgently to stop the aggression and address the immediate healthcare needs of Gaza's population. International bodies are also called to take action to restore safe water and wastewater systems, manage waste disposal, ensure fuel for water pumping, and facilitate the unrestricted entry of medical and hygiene supplies into the Strip.

The UN has already sounded the alarm on the matter, as its organizations called for two seven-day breaks in the war on Gaza in order to vaccinate over 640,000 children against polio, which has been found in wastewater.

Israeli genocide is ongoing 

Israeli assaults have escalated, with recent reports indicating that nine schools in Gaza City housing hundreds of forcibly displaced individuals in the Gaza Strip have been struck by relentless airstrikes in just 8 days as of August 9.

In the most recent development, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces targeted the Mustafa Hafez School in Gaza City, which shelters displaced Palestinians.

At least 10 were martyred, with their bodies trapped under the rubble of Mustafa Hafez School after it was bombed in Gaza City, as per our correspondent.

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He added that the Nasser Medical Complex received the bodies of 13 martyrs as a result of the ongoing occupation raids on Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

Concurrently, our correspondent confirmed that a mother and her four children were massacred while the mother was baking bread for her family in Khan Younis.

He also reported ongoing artillery bombardments targeting the Western Satar area in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza.

'Israel' weaponizing hunger in Gaza

The Government Media Office condemned, on Tuesday, the explicit weaponization of starvation as a political pressure tactic against civilians in Gaza, including children and women. This strategy, openly supported by US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has been criticized for linking humanitarian aid to a ceasefire agreement—a condition that the Israeli forces have consistently refused to implement, as per the Office.

The Government Media Office also rejected linking the provision of aid and food to a ceasefire decision, calling it a clear and egregious crime that demands condemnation from the international community, international organizations, and democratic nations worldwide.

It noted that the ongoing denial of all forms of aid, medical supplies, and health delegations, as well as the obstruction of medicines and treatments, has critically exacerbated the health and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

Palestinians in Gaza endure life amid rubble, relentless Israeli bombing: UN

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said some Palestinians have no choice but to live in the rubble of buildings destroyed by "Israel" across the besieged Gaza Strip.

UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge said on Monday that the Israeli occupation forces were massacring more Palestinian civilians in the besieged region and using repeated evacuation orders as cover to commit atrocities.    

Strikes are now relentless: the day starts with people checking if family & friends are still alive, & ends hoping they make it through the night

Destruction on such staggering scale that minimal structures remain. With nowhere else to turn, displaced families live among rubble. pic.twitter.com/ziIRDt8yCS

— Louise Wateridge (@UNWateridge) August 19, 2024

“Strikes are now relentless: the day starts with people checking if family and friends are still alive, and ends hoping they make it through the night,” she stressed in a post on X. 

Read next: Gaza rubble conceals gruesome horrors as death toll hits 40,000

It is worth noting that the vast amount of debris presents major logistical and financial obstacles to recovery efforts. According to UN estimates, the cleanup could take several years to complete, with some predicting it might extend up to 15 years due to the complexity and scale of the task.

The latest UN report also notes that around 73 percent of industrial and business facilities in Gaza have been damaged. Additionally, the UN indicates that most of Gaza's population has been forcibly displaced, with many people having to evacuate multiple times.