At least 24 UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) sites have been damaged by Israeli strikes and bombings across the Gaza Strip since October 7. This follows from report mission published on October 17.
According to the document, as of 18:00 on October 16 (the ninth day of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict), attacks by Israeli forces from the air, sea and land continue.
“24 confirmed reports of UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip being damaged by airstrikes and bombing. The actual number is likely to be higher,” the report said.
In addition, UNRWA reported that at least 14 mission personnel were killed in the region. The agency also cites data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, according to which an average of 267 residents die in the sector per day, or 11 per hour.
The day before, the European Union announced the start of an operation to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The operation itself will be carried out via a humanitarian air bridge and will consist of several flights to Egypt to deliver aid to those in need.
Prior to this, on October 15, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Union would triple humanitarian assistance to those affected in the Gaza Strip. Thus, the emergency assistance package for victims will be increased by €50 million, the total amount will be €75 million.
On October 7, the Palestinian Hamas movement subjected Israeli territory to massive rocket fire, which was carried out from the Gaza Strip, and also invaded the border areas in the south of the country. On the same day, the Israeli side began to launch retaliatory strikes.
According to the latest data, since the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, 2.8 thousand Palestinians have been killed and another 10.9 thousand people have been injured. Meanwhile, as a result of Hamas attacks in Israel, the number of victims reached more than 1.4 thousand, 3.5 thousand were injured.
The Palestinians intend to return the borders between the two countries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War, with a possible exchange of territories. Palestine wants to create its own state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and make East Jerusalem its capital. Israel refuses these terms.
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