Middle East, Israel bombs southern Gaza: how many deaths

During the night from Friday to Saturday, bombing by the Israeli armed forces concentrated on southern Gaza, particularly in the Khan Younis area. The Palestinian media reported this. According to the Wafa news agency, there was also heavy fighting in the area around Nasser hospital and there were 29 deaths in total. Khan Younis has been the epicenter of Israeli ground operations in recent weeks. The fighting has forced thousands of Gazans to flee the area, many of them already displaced from the northern neighborhoods where Israel launched its offensive.

Meanwhile, the current conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused almost three times more deaths in Gaza than in the last 15 years combined. This was revealed by a report from UN Women, the organization’s body for gender equality, as reported by CNN. The latest statistics speak of more than 24,620 Palestinians killed since the start of the war with Hamas on October 7, 2023. The report particularly analyzed the impact of the war on women. According to the data: around 70% of those killed were women or children. Furthermore, in the current situation – explains the report – women do not have adequate water and sanitation services, even for menstrual hygiene management, with a negative impact on mental and physical health. Furthermore, communications and electricity cuts are severely limiting services against gender-based violence. Overall, 1.9 million people (or 85% of the total population) have been displaced in Gaza, including what UN Women estimates to be one million women and girls, the agency said. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, there have been almost 20,000 births in Gaza during the current war, with many mothers suffering or dying during childbirth due to a lack of resources and facilities.