Gaza City / Geneva:
The conflict in Gaza escalated tragically on Thursday, with Israeli strikes killing at least 52 people across the territory, according to the civil defence agency and local hospitals. The casualties included a local employee of the French humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The civil defence agency, operating under Hamas authority, stated the deaths were caused by “continuous Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip since dawn,” specifying that 10 people, including at least one child, were killed in Gaza City alone.
Hospitals across Gaza reported receiving 10 bodies in Gaza City, 14 in central Gaza, and 28 in the territory’s south. They noted that the deaths were a result of a combination of air strikes, drone fire, and direct shootings.
Targeting of Civilians Seeking Aid
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported nearly 30 deaths, tragically including 14 people killed by “Israeli gunfire” targeting Palestinians who were waiting for food distribution in the Al-Tina and Morag areas. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah received nine bodies following multiple strikes on nearby civilian areas.
Among the dead was 26-year-old Omar al-Hayek, a dedicated MSF staff member, who was killed in a strike on a group of civilians in central Deir al-Balah.
Karin Huster, head of the MSF medical team in Gaza, expressed profound shock and condemnation. “We discovered that one of our colleagues had been killed, and four others wounded,” she said. “Enough killings — whether targeted or not, this is unacceptable.”
WHO: A Generation with Permanent Disabilities
Separately, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a grim assessment, stating that nearly 42,000 people—a quarter of whom are children—have suffered “life-changing injuries” during the two-year conflict in the besieged territory. These severe injuries include amputations, major burns, and head and spinal cord trauma.
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, emphasized the long-term catastrophe, noting that “Life-long rehabilitation will be required.” The report estimated that 41,844 people sustained injuries that will seriously impact the rest of their lives.
Alarmingly, over 5,000 individuals have faced amputations, a number cautioned to be “undercounted” as it excludes traumatic amputations occurring outside of medical facilities. Pete Skelton, the report’s main author, confirmed that “Children appear to be disproportionately vulnerable to amputations.”
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that the most common injuries requiring rehabilitation are “blast injuries to legs and arms.” However, he issued a stark warning regarding healthcare access: “Just when they are needed most, attacks, insecurity and displacement have put them out of reach,” further compounding the humanitarian disaster.
