GAZA CITY/GENEVA: At least 52 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in a new wave of Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to the enclave’s civil defence agency and local hospitals. Among the dead was a 26-year-old aid worker employed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), raising alarm from humanitarian organisations about the targeting of civilians and medical staff.
The Hamas-run civil defence agency said the fatalities were the result of “continuous Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip since dawn.” Casualties were reported in multiple locations: 10 killed in Gaza City, including at least one child; 14 in central Gaza; and 28 in the south. Hospitals said the victims had died in a combination of air strikes, drone attacks, and shootings. The Israeli army said it was “reviewing the reports.”
Strikes on food distribution points
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported nearly 30 bodies, among them 14 people killed when Israeli gunfire struck Palestinians waiting for food distribution in Al-Tina and Morag. In central Gaza, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said it had received nine bodies following strikes near Deir el-Balah. Witnesses described morgues overwhelmed with corpses shrouded in white sheets, as grieving relatives gathered outside.
One of those killed was Omar al-Hayek, an MSF staff member. According to his family and hospital officials, he died during an Israeli strike that hit a group of civilians in Deir el-Balah. Four other MSF staff members were also wounded. “The consequences will be tragic for their families and for our team,” said Karin Huster, MSF’s head of mission in Gaza. “Enough killings — whether targeted or not, this is unacceptable.”
WHO report: tens of thousands face lifelong disabilities
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on the same day that nearly 42,000 people in Gaza — around a quarter of them children — have sustained “life-changing injuries” in the two-year conflict. These include amputations, traumatic brain damage, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and permanent eye and facial disfigurements.
According to WHO’s analysis, based on data from emergency medical teams, the health ministry, and partner organisations, 41,844 individuals require long-term rehabilitation. Over 5,000 people have undergone amputations — a number likely underestimated, as it excludes “traumatic amputations” that occurred on the battlefield or outside hospitals.
“Children appear disproportionately affected by amputations,” said Pete Skelton, lead author of the report. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the most frequent cases involved blast injuries to limbs, but also highlighted spinal, brain, and burn injuries.
The organisation warned that just as demand for rehabilitation has surged to unprecedented levels, access to treatment has collapsed due to repeated attacks, insecurity, and mass displacement. “When rehabilitation is most needed, it has become nearly impossible,” Tedros cautioned.
Mounting toll
The latest strikes come as humanitarian agencies express deep concern over the spiralling civilian toll. With hospitals overwhelmed and aid workers themselves under fire, international observers warn that Gaza’s already devastated health system may be pushed to the point of collapse, leaving tens of thousands of wounded without long-term care.
Leave a comment