This aerial view taken on December 9, 2023 shows the makeshift tent camps housing Palestinians displaced by intense Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip seeking refuge in open areas around the Raed al-Attar Mosque in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border. Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP
Doha, Qatar: The death toll in Gaza nears 18,000 as Israel's onslaught continues in the Gaza Strip for over two months. The Palestinian news agency reported on Sunday that dozens of people have been killed and more are injured in air strikes on residential areas in the central areas of the besieged enclave.
Starvation is also rampant in the Strip amid dire conditions in packed shelters. The Deputy Director of the World Food Programme Carl Skau said that escalating Israeli attacks are hampering its ability to provide the necessities of people in Gaza.
“There’s not enough food. People are starving,” WFP Deputy Director Carl Skau wrote on X, formerly Twitter, following a visit to the besieged coastal strip on Friday.
Skau also stated that only a fraction of the necessary food is reaching the Gaza Strip, there is a lack of fuel, and no one is safe.
“Gazans are living packed into unhealthy shelters or on the streets as winter closes in, they are sick, and they do not have enough food,” he added.
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[7:55pm Doha Time] Palestinian Prime Minister said Israel must be held accountable for crimes, and must be prevented from violating international laws during a talk session today at Doha Forum 2023. Read more.
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[7:02pm Doha Time] Death toll hits 18,000 as nearly 300 killed in 24 hours
Gaza’s Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said about 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and 49,500 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7. He told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview that the death toll included 297 people killed and more than 550 wounded in the past 24 hours.
A picture shows smoke rising during bombardments as well as a flare fired by Israeli troops falling on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
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[2:30pm Doha Time] Gaza war having 'catastrophic' health impact: WHO chief
The war in Gaza is having a catastrophic impact on health in the besieged Strip, the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday.
The UN health agency called a special session of the WHO executive board to discuss the health conditions in the Palestinian territories, with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describing a collapsing system with medics facing an "impossible" job. Read more
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[1:30 pm Doha Time] WHO kicks in emergency session on Gaza
The executive board of the World Health Organization (WHO) is convening for an emergency session where the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza tops the agenda.
Speaking at the start of the session, WHO’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed great disappointment at the UN Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Palestinians fleeing Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip further south toward Rafah, stare at a crater caused by Israeli bombing on the Salah Al-Din road, on December 10, 2023. Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP
“A ceasefire is the only way to truly protect the people of Gaza,” he said, adding that the healthcare system in Gaza has been reduced to a third.
Remaining healthcare workers are exhausted and operating with extremely limited resources, he said.
Since the start of the war, at least 286 healthcare workers have been killed.
[12:10 pm Doha Time] Qatar says efforts to renew humanitarian pause in Gaza 'continuing'
Mediation efforts are continuing to secure a new Gaza humanitarian pause and free more hostages despite ongoing Israeli bombardment that is "narrowing the window" for a successful outcome, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Sunday.
"Our efforts as the state of Qatar along with our partners are continuing. We are not going to give up," the Prime Minister told Doha Forum, adding that "the continuation of the bombardment is just narrowing this window for us". Read more
[10:15 am Doha Time] At least 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Khan Younis
An Israeli air strike hit a house earlier today, killing at least 10 Palestinians and injuring dozens more, Wafa news agency reported quoting medical sources.
An unconfirmed number of people remain missing under the rubble in the west of Khan Younis.
A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during an Israeli strike early on December 10, 2023. Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP
The city, now hosting tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by fighting in northern Gaza, has endured relentless shelling from the Israeli military.
[10:14 am Doha Time] Latest casualty figures
[8 am Doha Time] Photojournalist describes scenes of loss and despair in Gaza
Gaza-based photojournalist Suhail Nassar said his work has become “flooded with themes of hunger and depression and fear” since Israel’s assault on the besieged strip began in October.
“I used to shoot to take photos of the beauty of sunsets, the scenery, the details of daily life. The peace in which we used to live,” he told Al Jazeera.
“I used to [take photos] to express myself, my feelings. Whenever I felt sad, whenever I felt happy, I’d go and shoot and take photos. Now, unfortunately, I’m shooting war.”
