Between the afternoons of 11 and 12 December, 217 Palestinians were killed and another 455 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. Overall, according to the MoH in Gaza, between 7 October and 12 December afternoon, at least 18,205 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, about 70 per cent of whom are said to be women and children, and about 50,100 were reportedly injured. Many more people are missing, presumably buried under the rubble, waiting for rescue or recovery.
On 12 December, heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza continued, especially in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continued, especially in Khan Younis (also in the south) and the northern parts of Gaza Strip. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel also continued.
On 12 December, initial reports and footage emerged of Israeli forces blowing up an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza.
The spread of diseases in Gaza has reportedly intensified, especially due to overcrowded living conditions; which adds to the strain on an increasingly overwhelmed health system and an increased risk of people dying. On 12 December, the MoH’s spokesperson in Gaza said that the ministry had documented 360,000 cases of infectious diseases in shelters, noting that the actual number is believed to be higher.
On the same day, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the occupied Palestinian territory announced that cases of meningitis, jaundice, impetigo, chickenpox and other upper respiratory tract infections had been recorded. Additionally, the director of the Abu Youssef An Najjar Hospital in Rafah announced that smallpox, diarrhoea and influenza were spreading amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rafah; including 1,500 cases of intestinal disease reported daily due to food shortages.
On 12 December, Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza city, arrested the director and transported some 70 medical staff to an unknown location. The remaining staff were ordered to collect all patients and carers into one building and evacuate the other buildings; where they remain without electricity, water, or food. The hospital had already been under siege for three days, according to the MoH in Gaza.
read the entire report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #67
A brother and a sister passing by their destroyed home in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. Photo by UNICEF/Al-Qattaa, 7 December 2023
