Israel continued to pound Gaza with air raids, killing dozens of people as the war entered its sixth day on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
Emergency workers in Gaza pulled the bodies of 18 people from the rubble of two shattered houses in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, a Palestinian news agency disclosed.
The dead included nine children and two women, the news agency added.
It was also reported that Israel attacked the city of Jabaliya at dawn, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens of others.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, with about 5,600 wounded. The number of people killed in Israel is also 1,200, with more than 3,000 injured.
Also, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that hospitals in Gaza “risk turning into morgues”, after medical equipment shut due to the lack of power supply.
Hospitals across Gaza are already reeling from shortage of staff and supply, while the number of critically injured grow by the hour due to the continuous Israeli bombardment.
As Gaza is deprived of electricity, “hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis stops, and X-rays can’t be taken,” Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s Regional Director for the Near and Middle East, said in a statement.
“Families in Gaza are already having trouble accessing clean water. No parent wants to be forced to give a thirsty child dirty water,” he added.
The ICRC is offering its help to free the captives that Hamas took from southern Israel on Saturday.
“We are now in contact with Hamas and Israeli officials as part of the efforts on the hostage issue,” the ICRC said in a brief statement.
“As a neutral intermediary we stand ready to conduct humanitarian visits; facilitate communication between hostages and family members; and to facilitate any eventual release,” Carboni noted.
“Hostage-taking is forbidden under international humanitarian law, and anyone detained must be released immediately,” Carboni added.
Israeli officials say Hamas is holding an estimated 150 people, including soldiers, men, women, children and older adults inside Gaza.
The ICRC urged “both sides to reduce the suffering of civilians.”
“The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent,” Carboni said.
Rallies in support of the Palestinian cause have taken place across the world.
On Wednesday, rallies were held in the US, Chile and South Africa.
The Israeli army says there had been no rocket attack from Gaza or southern Lebanon since 10pm last night (19:00 GMT).
Senior Hamas operative killed
Israel claimed that a senior Hamas operative has been killed.
The Israeli Ai Force announced on X that it killed a senior Hamas operative overnight.
“During the night (Thursday) the Air Force launched a wave of attacks with the aim of continuing to damage the commando force of the terrorist organization Hamas known as “Nachaba”, by attacking operational headquarters which were used by operatives who infiltrated the Otaf settlements last Saturday.
“Also, Air Force aircraft killed Muhammad Abu Shamla, a senior operative from the Hamas naval formation in the Rafah Brigade. Abu Shamla’s house was also used to store naval weapons intended to carry out terrorist operations against Israel.”
Israeli Ai Force
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