Fighting continues across Gaza Strip as peace proposal considered – UN

OCHA said the Gaza health authorities reported that since the war erupted in October 2023, fatalities have topped 66,000 people

Despite a Gaza peace proposal under consideration, fighting continues with deadly Israeli airstrikes and fresh Palestinian rocket fire aimed at Israel, said UN humanitarians on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said scores of people were reportedly killed or injured in the latest attacks in Gaza.

Published reports said sirens were sounded in Israeli communities near Gaza.

OCHA said the Gaza health authorities reported that since the war erupted in October 2023, fatalities have topped 66,000 people.

“OCHA stresses once again that civilians must never be a target,” said the office. “Under international humanitarian law, they must be protected.”

The office noted the health authorities also reported that 177 people, including 36 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since famine was confirmed in August.

The UN Population Fund said that more than 60 percent of pregnant women and new mothers are suffering from malnutrition.

Humanitarians continue to call for unimpeded and sustained access into and throughout Gaza to deliver critical supplies and services in sufficient quantities, including nutritious foods through the commercial sector, such as meat, vegetables and dairy products, to help meet people’s needs, according to OCHA.

UNICEF warned that displaced children have been walking in fear and terror for several days amid bombardment, gunfire and dead bodies without food and water.

OCHA said that families in southern Gaza are squeezed into severely overcrowded makeshift tents along the coast. As winter approaches, tents are at risk of being flooded. In August, some families were affected by rising tides along the coast.

It added that humanitarians continue to provide services across Gaza as best as they can in the face of significant challenges.

Teams were able to collect vaccines and nutrition supplies from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing and install a solar panel in Deir al-Balah. Tents, tarpaulins and bedsheets were allowed to enter the strip, although hundreds of thousands of people remain in desperate need of shelter, according to the office.

COURTESY: Xinhua