CAIRO, Egypt
United Nations humanitarians said Monday that 208 people were
killed and at least 1,500 injured in a week of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.A firefighter tries to extinguish fire on a burning vehicle, which was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza strip, in southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on May 16, 2021.
The Gaza Ministry of
Health reported that 198 people died – including 58 children – and 1,300
injured in seven days of bombardments by Israel, ending at noon local time.
Israel reported 10 people killed and hundreds more injured by Palestinian
rocket attacks launched from Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (Israeli-Palestinian hostilities) said.
Concentrating its report
on the toll to Palestinians, the humanitarians said more than 42,000 displaced
people are seeking protection in 50 schools across Gaza operated by the UN
agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA.
Citing the Gaza Ministry
of Public Works and Housing, OCHA reported 94 buildings destroyed and 285
housing units severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable. The humanitarian
partner Shelter Cluster reported more than 2,500 people homeless.
Damaged structures include 41 education facilities, including schools, two kindergartens, a UNRWA vocational training center, the Ministry of Education directorate and a higher education facility, the world organization said. Additionally, four Ministry of Health hospitals, two non-governmental hospitals, two clinics, a health center and a Palestine Red Crescent Society also were damaged.
Electricity across Gaza is
down to six to eight hours a day, on average, with some feeder lines not
functioning, disrupting the provision of health care and other essential
services, including water, hygiene and sanitation, OCHA said. Food and cash
support needs are increasing.
The United Nations and
humanitarian partners provide food and non-food items to displaced families in
Gaza and immediate cash assistance to more than 52,000 people.
They also provide remote
psychosocial counseling sessions for the traumatized, increase awareness about
the heightened risk of explosive remnants of war and assess property damage.
The UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights said that some recent Israeli airstrikes,
particularly on high-rise buildings, are raising concerns of indiscriminate and
disproportionate attacks under international humanitarian law. Likewise, the
launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods
in Gaza into civilian population centers in Israel also may be unlawful.
In the West Bank,
including in East Jerusalem, widespread demonstrations and clashes between
Palestinians and Israeli forces broke out in multiple locations in
commemoration of Nakba Day on Saturday, OCHA said. Two Palestinians were shot
and killed by Israeli forces. Another boy died after having been shot four days
previously in Hebron by Israeli forces.
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