'No end to hell' in northern Gaza, UN official says – DW – 10/09/2024
Published 9:41 AM Oct. 9, 2024 | last updated 3:36 PM Oct. 9, 2024
Vast swathes of Gaza have been reduced to rubble as Israel's offensive continues. UNRWA has criticized Israeli evacuation orders ahead of further military operations. DW has the latest.
Gaza Health Ministry says death toll surpasses 42,000
The Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that the Palestinian death toll in the Hamas-controlled territory has reached 42,010.
Palestinian officials also said more than 97,000 people had been wounded since the conflict began a year ago.
The latest Israeli bombardment killed at least 18 people. Among those killed were five children, officials said.
Israel's offensive has decimated Gaza's health sector, forcing most of its hospitals to shut down and leaving the rest only partially functioning.
The casualty figures released by the Gaza Health Ministry do not differentiate between fighters and civilians, but the figures, which show women and children make up the majority of those killed, are regarded as reliable by the United Nations and non-government organizations.
Israel, Germany and the United States are among the countries that classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Wednesday that the situation is dire in northern Gaza with at least 400,000 people are trapped in the region.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on social media platform X that Israel's evacuation orders "forcing people to flee again are again, especially from Jabalia Camp."
Jabalia, in northern Gaza, is the largest refugee camp for Palestinians in Gaza.
Lazzarini said many are refusing to leave, knowing there is no safe place in Gaza.
In his post, he added that UNRWA shelters and services are closing, some for the first time since the war began. This is impacting a polio vaccination campaign for children and also contributing to rising food shortages, he said.
Meanwhile, Israel pressed on with raids on the Jabalia refugee camp on the fifth day.
According to Palestinian officials in the Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 18 people were killed in overnight military strikes on Gaza.
German journalist held in Lebanon after Nasrallah's assassination
German war reporter and the deputy editor of the daily Bild, Paul Ronzheimer, was held for questioning in Beirut a day after Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Ronzheimer and the newspaper said.
Suspected Lebanese military intelligence operatives detained Ronzheimer and his team from their hotel, interrogating them while handcuffed and blindfolded, according to the Bild report.
Ronzheimer was released later that evening after the German Embassy intervened.
The journalist remained in Lebanon covering the aftermath of the airstrike that killed Nasrallah and its fallout.
Bild released details about his detention only after he left Lebanon.