GAZA CITY / TEL AVIV — As fighting intensifies in Gaza City, humanitarian concerns mount amid heavy Israeli bombardments and soaring civilian casualties.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reported on Wednesday that nearly 21,000 children have been left disabled since the war began on 7 October 2023. Around 40,500 children have suffered new injuries, with more than half resulting in long-term disabilities.
Israeli forces pressed deeper into Gaza City, pushing into Sheikh Radwan, where schools sheltering displaced Palestinians were struck and homes destroyed. Hospitals reported at least 24 deaths overnight, including women and children, while Gaza’s health ministry confirmed additional fatalities from airstrikes and hunger. Six people, including a child, reportedly died from malnutrition in just 24 hours.
The UN’s Site Management Cluster warned that Palestinians remain trapped by fear, high costs, and repeated displacements, with only a fraction of Gaza City’s nearly one million residents able to flee.
International reaction has been sharp. France condemned an Israeli drone strike near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that Europe’s response risked exposing double standards between Gaza and Ukraine. The UAE issued its strongest rebuke yet, declaring West Bank annexation a “red line.”
Meanwhile, protests erupted in Israel against the government’s handling of the war, and opposition leaders condemned both unrest and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies. Yemen’s Houthis claimed missile launches at Israel, while Israel unveiled a new spy satellite, vowing vigilance across the region.
