Health officials in the Gaza Strip say at least 50 Palestinians, including children, have lost their lives as Israeli military aircraft carried out a fresh round of airstrikes against various districts across the besieged coastal enclave.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the eastern al-Zaytoun neighborhoods of Gaza City on Saturday night.
Additionally, five dead bodies belonging to members of a family were recovered from under the rubble of another house in the same area.
Another nine people were killed and dozens more injured by an Israeli air attack on a shopping plaza in al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to the Arabic-language al-Jazeera television news network.
The airstrike also led to a huge fire that destroyed several shops.
In another deadly Israeli attack overnight, three people, including two women and an eight-year-old child, were killed in a strike on a house in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip.
In western sector of Rafah border town, 11 Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli bombing that targeted a house belonging to Abu Shamala family in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood.
Furthermore, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that an Israeli airstrike hit a cafe in Khan Younis, killing at least 11 people.
Videos of the bombing have circulated across social media, showing rescue workers and others working to move the injured.
Doctors in Gaza warn babies at risk as fuel supplies run out
Meanwhile, the UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) posted on X that the lives of 130 premature babies in Gaza’s hospitals are in danger if fuel does not reach the medical facilities soon.
“The world cannot simply look on as these babies are killed by the siege on Gaza,” Melanie Ward, the CEO of MAP, said in a post
🚨 URGENT UPDATE: Doctors in #Gaza have issued an urgent warning that the lives of 130 premature babies are in imminent danger if fuel does not reach hospitals soon.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/JiVFQIdOwJ
— Medical Aid for Palestinians (@MedicalAidPal) October 21, 2023
In response, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf called for the entry of aid, including fuel, to Gaza and also demanded a ceasefire in the Israeli war.
“What crime have these babies committed?” Yousaf asked.
“Let aid in, including fuel. Otherwise, these images should haunt us for the rest of our lives,” he added.
Over 1,600 children killed by Israel in Gaza in two weeks
Meanwhile, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) reported on Saturday that Israeli military forces have killed at least 1,661 children during the ongoing aggression on Gaza.
In a press statement, DCIP pointed out that the number of fatalities, including children, in Gaza is not final, given the fact there are approximately 1,400 individuals still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings. This means the actual number of victims is much higher.
The rights group highlighted in a press statement that Palestinian children, who have survived the intense Israeli bombardment throughout Gaza, are suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis.
This exacerbates the psychological and emotional traumas that have been building up for the past 16 years due to the Israeli blockade and military attacks on the enclave, it added.
The trauma experienced by Gaza’s children extends beyond personal suffering, DCIP noted.
“Witnessing the deaths of other children further exacerbates their ordeal, leaving indelible scars on their mental well-being. Additionally, the complete decimation of entire families in an instant shatters the foundation of these households.
“Children, who once found security and comfort in their family’s embrace, are now orphaned,” the organization pointed out.
