Amman: Since the beginning of the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip on October 7th, the number of victims has grown to 19,902 martyrs and more than 55,000 wounded, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Wednesday.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 19,600 martyrs were killed in the Gaza Strip, while the number of martyrs in the West Bank has grown to 302. 70 percent of the martyrs were women and children, while thousands are still missing, a ministry statement reported.
According to the ministry, about 310 health sector professionals were killed, along with 35 civil defense teams, 97 journalists, and 136 UNRWA staff.
The Ministry reported that the number of internally displaced individuals in the Gaza Strip is estimated to be 1.9 million, or almost 90 percent of the population. Approximately 1.2 million of the displaced people have been registered in 154 UNRWA facilities across the Strip, including one million in 94 UNRWA shelter centers in the south.
More than 60 percent, or an estima
ted 280,000 housing units, were entirely or partially destroyed in the Gaza Strip, according to the ministry. The total number of demolished units and buildings is undetermined due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
According to the ministry, the depletion of vaccination supplies has resulted in catastrophic health consequences, particularly among the displaced in congested shelter centers.
The Ministry of Health has documented 360,000 cases of infectious diseases such as meningitis, jaundice, herpes, chickenpox, lung infection, smallpox, diarrhea, and influenza, and those infected are in urgent need of treatment as well as basic requirements such as blankets and warm clothing.
Concerning the deterioration of food security in southern Gaza, the Ministry said that 44 percent of families are suffering from severe hunger, and infants have no access to formula milk, which leads to the worsening of the public health situation. Furthermore, the lack of access to medical supplies and staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital, as
well as Israeli strikes on medical facilities, endangers individuals in need of immediate medical attention, and hospital closures and medical supply shortages contribute to a catastrophic public health crisis.
Source: Jordan News Agency