Over 20,400 martyrs in Gaza; IOF commit 5 massacres in Deir al-Balah

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Dec 2023 16:07
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The number of injuries in Gaza has risen to 54,036.

A Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of the building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Bureij refugee camp Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (AP)

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 20,424, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, reporting an additional 54,036 people injured.

Meanwhile, the Government Media Office noted that 166 Palestinians were martyred and 384 were injured in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. It further detailed that the Israeli occupation ordered citizens from eight neighborhoods in the central governorate to leave for the Deir al-Balah area, and once they did, the occupation army committed five massacres in the area they forced them out to, killing 28 and injuring 88.

#Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression has reached 20,424 martyrs, with an additional 54.036 people injured.

Meanwhile, the government media office noted that 166 Palestinians were martyred and 384 were injured in the… pic.twitter.com/p9GEH15L5V
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 24, 2023

"I want my sister, please, I love her."
A Palestinian child appeals to doctors to save her family members who were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah. pic.twitter.com/hg2rWmQxPv
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) December 24, 2023

Injured Palestinian babies are taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for a treatment as Israeli attacks continue in Deir al-Balah the central Gaza Strip. (Anadolu Ajansı - 📷Ali Jadallah) #GazaUnderaAttack pic.twitter.com/S8MpAAniha
— Ali Jadallah (@alijadallah66) December 24, 2023

The Office affirmed that the IOF deliberately misleads civilians, most of whom are children and women, to inflict the maximum possible human losses and casualties in a dual war crime. The first aspect is forcibly displacing civilians from their homes, and the second is intentionally targeting and shelling them directly afterward.

The Office called on the Palestinian people to exercise caution and vigilance against the occupation, which seeks to cause the greatest number of casualties among them. It urged them to be aware of the conspiracies and misleading campaigns targeting them.

Al Mayadeen documents the mass destruction in Beit Lahia, northern #Gaza, as a result of the atrocious Israeli aggression.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack https://t.co/1JbOX30yYG
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 24, 2023

Moreover, it appealed to all free nations and international organizations to pressure the occupation to halt the genocide against civilians, children, and women in the Gaza Strip.

The Office also held the United States, the international community, and the occupation fully responsible for the genocidal crimes that violate international law and humanitarian rights.

UN official calls Israeli conduct in Gaza ‘institutionalized impunity'

Earlier today, Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, stressed that a "humanitarian ceasefire" is the sole means to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza's civilians, secure the release of captives, and halt the "devastating loss of lives."

On Friday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution advocating for a substantial distribution of aid to Gaza, but notably, the resolution did not insist on a cessation of hostilities. Rather, it only urged the establishment of "conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities." Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, cautioned that facilitating increased supplies across the Gaza border represents just the initial phase in averting the looming dangers of famine and deadly epidemics.

Approximately 80% of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced due to Israeli aggression, as estimated by the UN. Many individuals who were forcibly displaced in the southern regions, presuming "relative safety", found themselves once again under the threat of relentless Israeli bombing.

In the same context, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, who has been observing the destruction of civilian housing and infrastructure in Gaza, posted on X: "What has happened in Gaza is the result of what I call institutionalized impunity. Impunity for occupation. For a war of extermination. Genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity."