GAZA CITY: The health ministry in the Gaza Strip has reported that the death toll has reached 23,968, mostly women and children, in the Palestinian territory over the course of 100 days of relentless Israeli bombardments since October 7. The ministry has recorded 60,582 wounded as a result of the continuous Israeli attacks.
Al Jazeera reported that at least two people were killed and another was wounded in an Israeli drone strike in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area of Khan Younis. In a separate incident, Israeli troops targeted a house in central Rafah, resulting in six injuries.
Deir el-Balah city and the Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps also experienced intense Israeli shelling and air raids. However, the exact number of casualties remains unknown due to an ongoing communications blackout.
Significant damage to main roads and infrastructure, including Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, is evident, underscoring the severe impact of the prolonged Israeli attacks in the region.
Gaza Survivor Denounces Western Response as ‘Racist’
Mohammed Ghalayini, a Palestinian scientist who endured weeks in Gaza during the Israeli bombardment before being evacuated, expressed sadness over the ongoing situation. Ghalayini criticized Western nations for what he deemed an unequal response since October 7, attributing it to what he called “racism.”
“I think one word really describes the international response by the Global West – and that is racism. If Palestinians were not considered less than human by Western leaders, then the response would be much different in terms of empathy,” Ghalayini stated in an interview with Al Jazeera.
He went on to emphasize that the racist response to the death and destruction in Gaza could have a ripple effect on leaders such as Joe Biden and others in the Western world.
Israeli Forces Arrest Dozens in Occupied West Bank
Meanwhile, Israeli forces conducted overnight and morning raids and arrested at least 40 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that 15 of those detained were workers from Gaza. The arrests were concentrated in Hebron, with detentions also reported in Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jenin.
In the first two weeks following October 7, Israel saw a significant increase in the number of Palestinians in its custody, doubling from 5,200 to more than 10,000. This figure included 4,000 laborers from Gaza who were detained and later released back into Gaza.
