The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Thursday that more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since war broke out more than three weeks ago. Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, a ministry spokesperson, said 9,061 people have been killed in Gaza, including 3,760 who are under 18. More than 1,400 people have been killed on the Israeli side, the vast majority civilians killed by Hamas in its bloody Oct. 7 incursion into Israel.
Quick Read
- Palestinian Health Ministry reports 9,061 deaths, 3,760 children among them, due to the conflict.
- Israeli casualties reported over 1,400, primarily civilians from Hamas’ incursion.
- Health Ministry figures in Gaza have been consistent with U.N. and independent verifications.
- Critical health crisis imminent as hospitals, like Shifa, run out of fuel and medicine.
- Shifa Hospital faces severe overcrowding, treating 800+ wounded, amidst a shortage of medical supplies.
- The Indonesian Hospital’s generator failure exacerbates the health crisis in northern Gaza.
- Saudi Arabia launches a relief campaign for Gazans, with significant donations from the royal family.
- Sweden and Norway announce additional humanitarian aid for Gaza, targeting basic needs and support for children.
- Germany bans pro-Hamas activities and dissolves the German branch of Samidoun for glorifying Hamas.
The Associated Press has the story:
Palestinian Health Ministry: 9,061 have died, including 3,760 under 18
Newslooks- RAFAH, Gaza Strip
The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Thursday that more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since war broke out more than three weeks ago.
More than 1,400 people have been killed on the Israeli side, the vast majority civilians killed by Hamas in its bloody Oct. 7 incursion into Israel.
The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but includes doctors and veteran civil servants who are not affiliated with the group. Its tolls from previous wars have held up to U.N. scrutiny, independent investigations and even Israel’s tallies.
Al-Qidra warned of an “imminent health catastrophe” after the main generator in a hospital in northern Gaza failed and other hospitals face shortages of fuel and medicine. He said the generator at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the territory’s largest hospital, appears likely to fail soon.
“We appeal to all parties to provide safe passage for the urgent flow of medical aid into Gaza,” he said.
GAZA’S LARGEST HOSPITAL STRUGGLES TO TREAT HUNDREDS OF INJURED PEOPLE
BEIRUT — The Gaza Strip’s largest hospital is on its last supply of fuel has it struggles to cope with hundreds of wounded people while hosting thousands of displaced Palestinians in the Hamas-Israel war, a senior doctor said.
“The high number of displaced people are no longer living in the courtyard of the hospital but are also living inside the hospital, including the corridors,” U.K.-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians quoted Shifa Hospital’s chief of surgery, Dr. Marwan Abusada, as saying. Abusada warned that illnesses can spread because of the overcrowding and poor conditions.
Abusada said the overwhelmed hospital is struggling to treat more than 800 wounded people, most of whom suffer from medium or critical injuries.
“The medical team can in no way treat all these injuries, specifically with a lack of medication,” Abusada said, citing the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the small number of aid vehicles entering the territory daily.
POWER GENERATOR OUT AT KEY HOSPITAL
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The main power generator in the northern Gaza Strip’s key hospital went out of service early Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
The Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia is near the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, which has been the target of heavy Israeli airstrikes this week.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said in a televised statement that the hospital is running on a smaller backup generator but had to turn off lights in most rooms, shut down oxygen generators and resort to oxygen cylinders, and turn off mortuary refrigerators.
“These exceptional measures will allow the Indonesian Hospital to work for a matter of days,” Al-Qudra says. “However, if we cannot secure electricity or fuel then we will face a disaster.”
While some aid trucks have entered the blockaded Gaza Strip since the war began last month, Israel has not allowed trucks to bring fuel.
SAUDI ARABIA LAUNCHES RELIEF CAMPAIGN FOR PALESTINIANS IN GAZA
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has launched a campaign to raise relief funds for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday that King Salman has donated about $8 million to the fund and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has donated over $5 million.
Funds will be raised through the online donation platform Sahem, which the kingdom has used to contribute to relief efforts in other countries.
Contributions to the campaign exceed $15 million with more than 30,000 donors.
Before the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Saudi Arabia had been in talks with the U.S. over normalizing ties with Israel. The kingdom has called for a halt to the violence and for progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
SWEDEN, NORWAY PLEDGE HUMANITARIAN AID FOR GAZA
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Sweden announced Thursday it will donate an extra 150 million kronor ($13.4 million) in humanitarian support for Gaza in addition to the 560 million kroner ($50 million) in aid to Palestinians it has already earmarked for the whole of 2023.
“It’s about the most basic things for people to get through the day,” International Development Cooperation Minister Johan Forssell said. The aid will mostly be channeled through various U.N. organizations, he said.
In neighboring Norway, the government said Thursday it is increasing support for Palestinian children in Gaza via the U.N. Children’s Fund by donating 25 million kroner ($2 million). International Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim said ”the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is absolutely terrible and it is devastating to see how children are affected.”
GERMANY IMPOSES A BAN ON PRO-HAMAS ACTIVITY
BERLIN -– Germany’s top security official says she has implemented a formal ban on activity by or in support of Hamas and is dissolving a group that was behind a celebration of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the government planned to take action against the two groups on Oct. 12.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she is putting the ban on activity related to Hamas, which is already listed by the European Union as a terrorist group, into effect on Thursday.
She said she also is banning and dissolving the German branch of the Samidoun network, which she said “supports and glorifies” groups including Hamas.
Samidoun was behind an Oct. 7 action in which a group of people handed out pastries in a Berlin street in celebration of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
