More than 5,087 people have been killed in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza since it began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that killed 1,400 people on 7 October.
The majority of those killed in Gaza are Palestinian civilians, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women. A further 15,273 people are known to have been injured in the attacks.
Twelve hospitals and 32 health centres have been closed due to the Israeli attacks and also to fuel shortages. Some 1,500 people, including 830 children, are still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Israeli attacks have killed 57 medical workers and wounded 100.
At least sixty Palestinians were killed in Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip on Sunday night and Monday. One air raid killed seventeen people in one house in Jabaliya, north of the city.
While its heavy air strikes continue, Israel has agreed to delay the ground assault to allow more US forces to arrive in the Middle East, fearing an increase in attacks by Iran and its allies, according to Israel’s GLZ Radio.
A third aid convoy has entered Gaza on Monday through the Egyptian border crossing of Rafah. The United Nations is calling for at least 100 trucks a day to be allowed through to meet the needs of 2.4 million Gazans.
Calls for a humanitarian halt to the war between Israel and Hamas have been backed by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, among others. Borrell stressed the need for increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, where civilians are facing dire conditions. Borrell also urged Hamas to stop rocket attacks on Israel and to release more than 200 prisoners as part of de-escalation efforts.
Meanwhile, the EU is currently discussing the possibility of a ceasefire amid fears of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The United States on Sunday warned Iran and allied armed organisations such as Hezbollah against any escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. It said it would act against any attacks on its interests and those of Israel.
Roshdi Sarraj, a 31-year-old Palestinian journalist, who worked for a number of non-governmental organisations as well as the international media, was killed on Sunday in an Israeli attack that hit his house in Gaza.
