Palestine weekly: Israel attacks children, hospitals in bloody week in Gaza

The past week in Gaza has been marked by a series of Israeli attacks that have resulted in the deaths of children and damaged health facilities, according to Palestinian health officials and local activists. Since the October ceasefire, the death toll has climbed to at least 1,108.

Recent incidents include Israeli strikes on July 8 that killed at least eight people, among them a 10-year-old in a "humanitarian zone" tent and a six-year-old in Gaza City. The following day, a World Central Kitchen driver, Ahmad Nasser Saleem, was reportedly shot and killed while transporting coordinated aid. On July 12, nine-year-old Tala Jumaa Abu Matar was killed by Israeli fire near the Nuseirat refugee camp.

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systematic targeting of health facilities

Strikes on tents sheltering displaced persons in al-Mawasi occurred throughout the week. On July 10, an Israeli drone struck the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, wounding staff. Gaza's Ministry of Health condemned this as part of Israel's "systematic targeting of health facilities."

Amid these reports, COGAT, the Israeli military body coordinating aid, released a report claiming humanitarian supplies entering Gaza significantly exceeded UN-identified needs. Major-General Yoram Halevy stated that disputing these figures amounted to "amplifying Hamas propaganda." Conversely, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in its July 10 situation report that food distributions covered only 75 percent of minimum caloric needs, with high-energy biscuit supplies suspended due to dwindling emergency stocks. OCHA also noted a 37 percent decrease in families receiving shelter assistance from May to June, citing funding shortfalls and Israeli restrictions on materials. Essential services for chronic disease patients remain disrupted, and over 18,000 new cases of infections like chickenpox were recorded in a single week.

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amplifying Hamas propaganda