Number of humanitarian workers killed in the line of duty in Gaza rises to 31

Gaza (Uttam Hindu News): The number of humanitarian workers killed in the line of duty in Gaza has risen to 31 after Israeli airstrikes killed seven civil defense officials in the past 24 hours, the United Nations has said.

“On Monday, seven civil protection members were killed during airstrikes, bringing the total number of humanitarian workers killed in the line of duty to 31,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update. The UN body said there was a complete power outage in the Hamas-controlled enclave for the sixth consecutive day. “Hospitals are on the verge of collapse,” the update said. “The fuel reserves used to operate backup generators have been almost completely depleted, putting the lives of thousands of patients at risk.”

On Sunday Israeli authorities resumed partial water supplies to the eastern Khan Yunis area, providing less than 4 percent of the water consumed in the Gaza Strip before the conflict began. Meanwhile, the UNICEF-led WASH Cluster said the population faces imminent risk of death or infectious disease spread if water and fuel are not allowed to enter immediately.

OCHA also warned that the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) since the beginning of the conflict could reach 1 million, including those in UN Relief Agency-designated emergency shelters in central and southern Gaza alone. Including approximately 333,000 IDPs living in.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza as of Tuesday morning stood at 2,778, while 9,938 people were injured. The Palestinian Health Ministry said all 47 family members, numbering about 500, were killed. According to official Israeli sources, at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in the Jewish state, while 4,121 others have been injured. The death toll is three times the total number of Israelis killed since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.