London, (Agencies):
200 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours by Israeli indiscriminate bombing across Gaza, according to Ministry of Health.
A United Nations official was killed along with more than 70 members of his extended family in an Israeli air strike near Gaza City, as hundreds of people have been killed in intensified bombardment since Friday’s UN Security Council resolution that has been criticised as “woefully insufficient”.
Issam Al Mughrabi, 56, who worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for three decades was killed along with his wife and children in an Israeli air strike on Friday, reported Al-Jazeera.
“For almost 30 years, Issam has worked with UNDP through our Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People,” UNDP administrator Achim Steiner said in a statement.
Meanwhile, UNRWA says it “cannot deliver meaningful aid” under intense Israeli bombardments of Gaza after the UN Security Council called for increased access.
“Stop the genocide now,” says Bethlehem Pastor Munther Isaac, as churches across Palestine cancel Christmas celebrations, reported Al Jazeera.
Journalist Ahmad Jamal Al Madhoun was killed in Gaza, bringing death toll of journalists killed to 101, says the Government Media Office in Gaza.
A 13-year-old child was killed by an Israeli drone near El Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
Palestinians buried dozens of civilians Saturday who were killed by the Israeli army in recent days in the northern Gaza Strip after Israeli vehicles withdrew from areas.
Witnesses told Anatolia that Palestinians in Jabalia dug a mass grave and buried dozens of civilians killed in the area of Tel al-Zaatar and the vicinity of the Indonesian Hospital.
They said the bodies, some being women and children, were collected after Israeli military vehicles withdrew from the area early Saturday.
The bodies were found scattered on roads after they were killed with shells, drones, and live ammunition, witnesses said.
The decomposed bodies on the roads were described as “tragic,” where dogs and cats nibbled on parts of the dead.
Israeli military vehicles withdrew from Tel al-Zaatar, while fierce clashes continued against Palestinian resistance fighters on the western outskirts of the Jabalia Al-Balad area, in an attempt to penetrate the region’s depth.
Israeli army has been accused of executions of civilians in Gaza.
“We have received testimonies that the occupation army has committed field executions of more than 137 Palestinian civilians in the Gaza and northern governorates,” Ismail al-Thawabteh, director of the media office, said in a news conference held at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in central Gaza Strip.
He said that the Israeli army “set up detention camps east of Gaza City, dug large pits in them and placed dozens of our Palestinian citizens inside before executing them by shooting them directly, and then buried them with bulldozers.”
Al-Thawabteh said that “the occupation executed pregnant women on their way to Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza. “They were raising white flags, but the occupation (forces) shot them from a close distance and then buried them on the spot.”
He said: “7,000 are still missing, either under the rubble or their fate is still unknown, and 70% of them are children and women.”
Palestinian bodies are decomposing in streets and under the rubble of houses. This is spreading diseases.
UN has recorded 355,000 cases of skin diseases and infections and 160,000 cases of respiratory diseases.
Since October 7, Israeli Defence Forces have killed 20,258 Palestinians, including 8663 childre and 6,327 women and injured 53,688 others.
1,139 Israelis were killed on Octiber 7 in Israel by Hamas according to Israeli authorities. 128 Israelis are still held captive by Hamas.
[Injured Palestinian children in Israeli attack in Dier al Balah, Gaza on 23 12 23 being treated at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Photojournalist Ashraf Amra/ AA]
