The Gaza Strip has been in a humanitarian crisis since the escalation of violence between Israel and the group that controls the enclave, Hamas, began last week. There is a lack of food, clean water and medicine, there is a risk of the spread of Covid-19 and other diseases and more than 52,000 Palestinians have had to leave their homes, according to the UN (United Nations ) and WHO (World Health Organization) on Tuesday (18).
The day started off quieter in the region, with no news of attacks or deaths, but by early afternoon (mid-morning in Brazil) the confrontation resumed, with aerial bombardments on Gaza and rockets on Israeli cities.
In Israel, two Thai workers have died, the country’s police said, pushing the death toll on that side to 12 since the start of last week.
“A place where foreign workers live was directly hit by a rocket,” police said in a statement. “There are two dead, one seriously injured, another moderate and three minors,” he added.
No information was released on Tuesday on the deaths on the Palestinian side. Over the past nine days, Israeli army airstrikes have killed more than 200 people in Gaza and destroyed or severely damaged 450 buildings. Some 47,000 people have sought refuge in 58 UN schools in Gaza, said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Laerke on Tuesday celebrated Israel’s opening of a humanitarian corridor at the border where essential goods could be sent, but that crossing was closed soon after because Palestinians threw mortars at the site, officials said. Israelis.
“The projectiles were fired at the Kerem Shalom crossing when trucks of civilian aid donated by international humanitarian organizations entered,” said Cogat, an Israeli organization responsible for civilian operations in the Palestinian territories.
According to Larke, of the UN, 132 buildings were destroyed and 316 were severely damaged in Gaza, including six hospitals and nine primary health centers, as well as a desalination plant, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without access to water. potable water.
Amnesty International, a human rights organization, said Israeli bombings of residential buildings could constitute war crimes. Israel says it targets only legitimate military targets and is doing everything it can to prevent civilian casualties.
There is also a shortage of medical supplies and a risk of the spread of Covid-19 and diseases related to water scarcity due to the settlements of internally displaced people in schools, the spokeswoman said. ‘WHO Margaret Harris.