Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that dozens of Palestinians were killed in less than an hour on Thursday morning due to the Israeli occupation's shelling of civilians' homes in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Our correspondent stated that Israeli warplanes targeted a house north of Rafah, adding that medical teams have so far retrieved the bodies of two martyrs.

Activist Alam Sabbah mentioned that the Rafah area was hit with heavy Israeli airstrikes, noting that the bodies of more than 20 Palestinian martyrs were retrieved from a house targeted this morning.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent also pointed out that Israeli warplanes carried out several airstrikes on an area west of Khan Yunis Governorate in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupation warplanes targeted Jabalia and a house in Beit Lahia, leaving several deaths and injuries.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza reported several martyrs and injuries from the Israeli occupation's shelling of a house on al-Wehda Street and another east of Bureij camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. A one-week-old baby was also martyred in an Israeli airstrike.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip continue relentlessly, destroying homes with their inhabitants without warning, adding that the humanitarian and health situation in the Strip continues to deteriorate with the depletion of medicines and medical supplies.

Over 70% of the victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza have been women, children, and elderly, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said during a press conference, in which he was addressing the repercussions of the Israeli aggression, that the massacres being committed by the Israeli occupation amount to ethnic cleansing and pose an existential threat to the Palestinian people.

"The tally of the massacre committed by the criminal Israeli occupation in al-Maamadani hospital rose up to 471 martyrs, with 314 others wounded, 28 of whom are in critical condition," al-Qudra confirmed.

Meanwhile, he revealed that the total number of casualties resulting from the Israeli aggression that has been ongoing for 12 consecutive days was 3,478 martyred and 12,065 others wounded.

The massacres committed by the Israeli occupation against families affected 433 families, of which 2,421 members have been martyred, while hundreds of others are still under the rubble, the Palestinian official highlighted.

A doctor collapses in front of journalists in a hospital in #Gaza due to the horrific scenes caused by Israeli crimes against the Palestinians in the Strip.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/JNkwyrrT9V

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 19, 2023

More than a million displaced people in Gaza

In a related context, the government media office in Gaza confirmed there are more than a million displaced people in the Strip who are suffering disastrous living conditions due to the withdrawal of UNRWA and the suspension of its services in the northern areas of Gaza.

The Office called on UNRWA to resume its operations in northern Gaza areas and to bear its responsibilities toward the displaced people.

It also welcomed the President of the European Council's call for an international investigation into the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital massacre, demanding an investigation at the highest level into all the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation since the beginning of the ongoing aggression.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned that the situation in Gaza is "out of control."

He pointed out that the WHO supplies have been stuck at the borders with Gaza for four days, stressing the urgent need to allow aid to reach the Strip immediately.

Read more: Egypt agrees to open Rafah crossing for 20 aid trucks: Biden