The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the besieged Strip had risen to 28,985 people, and 68,883 others were injured.
The Ministry of Health said on Sunday that the occupation forces committed 13 massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, killing 127 and injuring 205. The ministry confirmed that there were still many victims under the rubble and on the roads, as the occupation forces prevented ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that the Israeli occupation turned the Nasser Medical Complex into a military base and shut it down, and detained medical personnel for long hours in the maternity building while they were handcuffed and beaten after being stripped of their clothes.
Al-Qudra said that the occupation forces arrested 70 health personnel, including the intensive care doctor, and only 25 medical personnel remained. He also reported the arrest of dozens of patients who were unable to move after being transferred to army beds, loaded onto trucks, and taken to an unknown destination. He pointed out that the power outage at the Nasser Medical Complex for three days led to the death of seven patients due to the lack of oxygen.
Meanwhile, the Gaza City municipality said that since the start of the war, the Israeli occupation forces had completely or partially destroyed about 40 wells and nine water tanks of different sizes, and 42,000 linear meters of pipes and networks, and had blocked the delivery of fuel needed to operate the wells since last November.
Also on Sunday, the final statement of the African Summit condemned the collective punishment of civilians in Gaza and the attempts to forcibly displace them. The statement urged Israel to respond to the international calls for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to abide by the rulings of the International Court of Justice to prevent genocide in Gaza.
The statement called for an independent international investigation into Israel’s use of internationally prohibited weapons and its targeting of hospitals and media institutions in its war in Gaza.
In a related context, the United States threatened to veto a new draft resolution in the UN Security Council that called for an “immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons” in the Gaza Strip, after Algeria requested a vote on it next Tuesday.
On Saturday, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, issued a statement criticizing Algeria’s decision to put the text to a vote.
In her statement, the American representative argued that the Algerian move jeopardized the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediation, to establish a new truce that included the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
The American statement added: “For this reason, the United States does not support” voting on this text. In a clear threat to use a veto to block the text, Thomas-Greenfield said in her statement, “If we reach a vote on the current draft, it will not pass.”
In the same context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at his government meeting that Israel rejects any international pressure regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. He added that such a settlement can only be reached through direct negotiations between the two parties without preconditions.
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel will keep opposing unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state. He said that such recognition after October 7 last year would hinder any future peace settlement and reward “terrorism”.
A statement by the Palestinian factions urged the Palestinian people to be patient and steadfast, to arm themselves with awareness and unity, and to reinforce their internal front. They said this was to confront the “futile attempts” of the fifth column that serves the Israeli authorities, referring to those who collaborate with the occupation from among the Palestinians.
The Palestinian factions’ statement affirmed that internal unity is essential to protect the home front and support the Palestinian resistance.
