The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has confirmed that their centers in southern Gaza have received approximately 400,000 displaced people, with the agency estimating that there are over one million displaced people in total.
UNRWA emphasized that the level of destruction in the Gaza Strip is unparalleled and that the needs of the displaced population surpass their capacities. Additionally, the agency warned of the severe health risks faced by the people of Gaza, who are forced to consume contaminated water.
It also stated that the power stations ceased to function, leaving people in the darkness since the beginning of the ongoing aggression. These statements from UNRWA coincide with the ongoing bombing campaign that has been continuous for ten days.
Our latest on the situation in the📍#GazaStrip ⬇️
🔺For the fifth consecutive day #Gaza has had no electricity.
🔺People have severely limited access to clean drinking water – serious concerns over the spread of waterborne diseases.https://t.co/pA9v3H6bDQ pic.twitter.com/6WeOqFVEux
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 16, 2023
“The situation is catastrophic, catastrophic, catastrophic”
🆘 The humanitarian crisis in📍#Gaza is dire.
Our @UNRWA colleague Rawya reports the desperate need for food, water, and medicine for the people fleeing their homes who are now dying without these supplies available. pic.twitter.com/eZlkL7xQYk
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 15, 2023
The Media Office of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security announced that the occupation forces targeted an area east of the Jabalya refugee camp with artillery shells.
The IOF also bombed the homes of the Al-Aqqad and Shubeir families in Khan Yunis, resulting in casualties and injuries, mainly among children and women.
A grieving Palestinian father breaks into tears after receiving the tragic loss of his little daughter who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/r7kFXMSFsP
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) October 16, 2023
Furthermore, the occupation forces targeted the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with a series of consecutive airstrikes and a house in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood. These attacks resulted in several casualties and injuries, mainly among children and women.
Israeli fighter jets killed 8 of Zuqmat family members after bombing their home over the head in the south of Khan Yunis, Gaza. pic.twitter.com/j5eo1UHVGx
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) October 16, 2023
Additionally, Gaza mourned the loss of six martyrs from the Civil Defense teams who sacrificed their lives during their humanitarian duties. This occurred following the Israeli occupation’s shelling of their headquarters in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City earlier today.
The Gaza municipality warned that the occupation forces are preventing municipal teams from accessing the major landfill site, threatening an imminent health and environmental catastrophe.