For the 67th consecutive day, the Israeli military has continued to kill and injure dozens of more civilians across the densely-populated Palestinian territory of Gaza. The death toll in Gaza has climbed up to well over 18,200, with more than 50,000 Palestinians injured, according to the latest statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Several Palestinians have also been reported killed in the Occupied West Bank as a result of multiple raids and aerial bombardments carried out by the Israeli security forces, with many others sustaining injuries.
The UN, as well as numerous human rights groups and aid agencies have on a daily basis expressed alarm and concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially over the widespread civilian death and suffering, the acute shortage of urgently needed humanitarian aid, and the risk of a disease outbreak.
The unabated Israeli assault in Palestine continues even as global condemnation and calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire keep growing stronger, with more and more countries, rights groups, aid agencies and common people all over the world urging international action.
Pressure also continues to grow on the United States, Israel’s biggest ally, to force the settler-colonial state to agree to a ceasefire in order to prevent the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza from getting worse. As part of the international efforts, the UN General Assembly held a special session on Tuesday December 12 to discuss ways in which a humanitarian ceasefire can be implemented and enforced. The session was held in response to Egypt and Mauritania invoking the rarely-used Resolution 377A following the UN Security Council’s failure to bring about a ceasefire.
According to latest reports, Israeli occupation forces today carried out multiple airstrikes as well as ground bombardment and raids in multiple areas of Gaza, including Rafah, Khan Younis, Beit Lahia, Deir al-Balah, and the Nuseirat and Jabaliya refugee camps, among other parts of Gaza.
At least 22 people are estimated to have been killed in the airstrikes in Rafah, and at least two in Khan Younis, with numerous other casualties reported from elsewhere. Dozens of civilians, including many women and children, have also been injured.
Reports noted that Israeli soldiers on the ground in Gaza raided and bombed at least three hospitals, namely the Kamal Adwan hospital, the Al-Aqsa hospital and the Al-Awda hospital, resulting in several Palestinians being killed, including one surgeon and two Palestinian women.
Additionally, the World Health Organization reported on Tuesday that one wounded Palestinian patient who was being transported for further treatment in a WHO-led convoy died after being excessively stopped for checks by Israeli forces.
In the Occupied West Bank, Israeli forces reportedly carried out raids in multiple cities and towns and adjoining villages, including in Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Silwad, and Qaliqiya, among several others.
The illegal and violent raids, which are regularly being carried out by Israeli forces in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over the years, have intensified since October 7, when Israel launched its war on Gaza. At least 20 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured across the West Bank in the raids on Tuesday, taking the number of those killed to nearly 300, along with the number of wounded also rising to nearly 4,000.
More than 50 Palestinians were also arrested in Tuesday’s raids, taking the number of those arrested in the occupied West Bank since October 7 to nearly 3,500. Reports added that among those arrested are several women and children, including a twelve-year old Palestinian boy. At the time of reporting, in several parts of the West Banks, the deadly raids were still being carried out by hundreds of Israeli soldiers, accompanied by armored military vehicles, drones and other advanced military equipment.
