Top United Nations officials are warning again the “entire Palestinian population” in north Gaza is at “imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” In a warning issued on Friday, the heads of 15 humanitarian organizations wrote, “The situation unfolding in North Gaza is apocalyptic. The area has been under siege for almost a month, denied basic aid and lifesaving supplies while bombardment and other attacks continue.”
According to UNICEF, Israeli attacks killed more than 50 children over a 48-hour period this weekend in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Earlier today, Israeli forces shelled the Kamal Adwan Hospital. The hospital’s director said multiple children were injured when the Israeli shells struck the pediatric ward and nursery. Israel is also accused of attacking a polio vaccination center in Gaza City, injuring at least four children.
On Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed Palestinian photojournalist Bilal Mohamed Rajab, bringing the death toll of journalists killed in Gaza to as high as 183 over the past 13 months.
Aid groups fear the humanitarian situation will soon worsen in Gaza as Israel has officially notified the U.N. that it has cut off ties to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned Israel’s move.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “This ban will not make Israel safer. It will only deepen the suffering of the people of Gaza and increase the risk of disease outbreaks.”