The health ministry of Gaza Strip on Tuesday said that at least 31,819 Palestinians have been killed and 73,934 injured since October 7 in Israel’s military offensive on the enclave. In the past 24 hours, nearly 93 Palestinians were killed and 142 injured, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting raged around Gaza’s biggest hospital as Israel raided it for a second day, on Tuesday. Explosions and shootings shook the enclave’s hospital and surrounding neighbourhoods as the Israeli army stormed through the facility.
50 Hamas militants killed
The military said that in the hospital it had killed 50 Hamas militants, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead were combatants. For the Shifa medical complex, the raid was a new blow. It had only partially restarted operations after a deadly Israeli raid in November 2023.
As heavy fighting between troops and Hamas fighters raged in nearby districts, thousands of Palestinian patients, medical staff, and displaced people were trapped inside the sprawling complex. Details were insufficient, with communications from inside the hospital nearly unbelievable.
The Israeli military said it attacked the medical complex on Monday because Hamas fighters had grouped in the hospital and were attacking from inside.
On Sunday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said more than 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s offensive. The children’s agency added that many kids were suffering from extreme malnutrition.
During an interview with CBS News, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell did not provide a source for the child fatality figure.
