Mourners attend the funeral procession of two men killed in an Israeli army incursion in the al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on December 26, 2023. Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP
Doha, Qatar: Communication and internet services in Gaza were brought down on Wednesday as a result of damaged infrastructure. According to a UN report, communication blackouts further limit the life-saving assistance efforts by humanitarian agencies and emergency providers.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Sigrid Kaag as Gaza’s aid coordinator. Sigrid Kaag is the outgoing Dutch finance minister.
In her new role, she will be responsible for coordinating and monitoring humanitarian relief delivery to Gaza, according to a Bloomberg report.
Sigrid Kaag, outgoing Minister of Finance, looks on in the House of Representatives in The Hague on September 19, 2023. Photo by Phil Nijhuis / ANP / AFP
"She will also establish a UN mechanism to accelerate aid distribution, the secretary-general’s office said in a statement," the report added.
At least 20,915 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 54,918 wounded since October 7.
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[3:12 pm Doha Time]Health Ministry in Gaza announces more updates
Spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra says Israeli forces are increasing their attacks around Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, warning the facility faces a similar fate as al-Shifa Hospital.
“We call on UN institutions to take effective and urgent steps to ensure the protection of the Nasser Medical Complex, its staff, the wounded and sick, and the thousands of displaced people there,” he said in a post on the ministry’s Telegram channel.
[2:52 pm Doha Time] More than 21,000 killed in Gaza: Ministry
The casualties resulting from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have risen to at least 21,110 killed and 55,243 injured since October 7th, according to a statement by Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.
Moreover, the statement said 195 people had been killed in the past 24 hours and 325 injured.
[2:10 pm Doha Time] Internet services being slowly restored in Gaza: Paltel
“We would like to announce the gradual restoration of telecom services in the central and southern areas of Gaza Strip after a blackout caused by the ongoing aggression,” Palestine Telecommunications Company said in a post on X.
On Tuesday, the company said there was a “complete interruption” of telecom services in the enclave.
Humanitarian agencies and emergency responders have warned that communication blackouts further limit their already constrained life-saving assistance efforts in the war-torn territory.
[11:38 am Doha Time] Several killed in Israeli attack on central Gaza school
At least five people were killed and more wounded in an Israeli bombing of Maghazi Secondary Girls School in Maghazi refugee camp, housing displaced people in the enclave.
Footage obtained and verified by Al Jazeera shows the victims being brought to nearby hospitals, with some of those killed lying on the floor as grieving relatives and friends mourn over their bodies.
[11:03 am Doha Time] Israeli attacks in southern Gaza continue overnight
There were renewed attacks in Khan Younis overnight, this time around the vicinity of the Nasser Hospital and the Jordanian field hospital, according to Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud in Rafah, southern Gaza.
He stated that "there has been heavy and relentless artillery shelling in that area, creating lots of concern among local residents."
"The Israeli military is repeating the same scenario that took place at al-Shifa Hospital bringing it under heavy firepower. There is a growing fear that the hospitals will be stormed in the coming days amid increased intensity of the air raids in the vicinity of the Nasser hospital and the Jordanian field hospital," he added.
He further said: "Here in Rafah, a major attack took place overnight at the residential buildings in al-Jenina district, in southeast Rafah."
He also stated that large numbers of residential homes have been destroyed there and completely turned into rubble.
[9:21 am Doha Time] Gaza’s main telecoms provider hit by outage: UN
Gaza’s primary telecommunications provider announced that communication and internet services were brought down today as a result of damaged infrastructure, the UN reports.
Humanitarian agencies and emergency responders have warned that communication blackouts further limit their already constrained life-saving assistance efforts in the war-torn territory.
The latest situation update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also reports:
- The Israeli military reiterated calls for Palestinians to evacuate an area covering about 9 sq km (3.4 sq miles) in the Deir el-Balah governorate in central Gaza. The area was home to 90,000 people before October 7.
- The bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in northern Gaza were returned through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing and buried in a mass grave in Rafah.
- More than 4,037 students and 209 educational staff have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and more than 7,259 students and 619 teachers have been injured.
- There were eight Israeli settler attacks resulting in damage to Palestinian-owned property between December 23 and 26, and a vandalism attack on a total of 1,588 trees and crops.
