The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health has declared that the “practice of medicine is under attack” in Gaza. This assessment comes as the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reveals that ambulance and other medical services in northern Gaza have ground to a standstill.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres has invoked the seldom-used Article 99 to compel the Security Council to address the escalating war in Gaza. Guterres has warned of a deepening “catastrophe” and urged immediate international intervention.
The Palestinian death toll has reached 17,177. A strike on a house belonging to the al-Asali family in the al-Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City has resulted in the loss of 30 Palestinian lives.
In Beit Lahiya, Israeli forces have reportedly killed several members of a family seeking refuge in a school in northern Gaza, adding to the strain on medical services. Videos circulating on social media reveal the lifeless bodies of the Abu Salah family strewn across the playground of Aleppo School near the Indonesian Hospital.
The Wadi al-Salqa area in the central Gaza Strip witnessed another tragedy, with four individuals, including a child, losing their lives in an Israeli attack targeting a residential home.
In Israel, public opinion on the war is divided. In Hostage Square, anger simmers over captives in Gaza, demanding their immediate return. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces increasing unpopularity for his perceived inability to bring back all captives alive. Meanwhile, the political and military stance in Israel remains uncompromising.
As the conflict intensifies, reports emerge of atrocities targeting civilian spaces. Thirteen people are reported dead in Khan Younis, near Nasser Hospital, while a school in Beit Lahia, where displaced people sought refuge, is now under siege by Israeli tanks.
The scale of devastation is beyond imagination, particularly in Rafah, where entire areas have been burned down beyond recognition. Palestinians seeking refuge in Rafah are facing dwindling supplies and space, highlighting the urgent need for international assistance.
