More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel started its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Thursday. This includes 2,913 children and 1,709 women, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, in an op-ed published in The Guardian on Thursday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the Gaza Strip "is becoming the graveyard of a population trapped between war, siege and deprivation.” He added, “History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on earth.”
Israel launched an air campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians. The Israeli government has also tightened its blockade on the besieged enclave, limiting food, fuel and other supplies from entering Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday in a post on X that 74 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was opened last weekend. The trucks are transporting water, food, medicines and medical supplies, but not fuel.
