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People mourn next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, December 9, 2023. Photo/REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
GAZA – Nasser Hospital and others in the southern region of Gaza, al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, reported 133 people killed and 259 people injured in the last 24 hours on Saturday (9/12/2023).
That means the official death toll has reached almost 17,500 people, and thousands of other missing people are thought to have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s brutal attacks.
Footage obtained by Reuters at another hospital in Deir al-Balah, Jaffa Hospital, showed extensive damage from the attack on the mosque next door. The ruins of the destroyed mosque can be seen through the broken windows.
There were no new figures on Saturday on the number of dead and injured in other areas of Gaza, including the entire north, where hospitals are no longer functioning and ambulances are often unable to reach the already overwhelming death toll.
“We believe the number of victims buried in rubble may be higher than those hospitalized,” Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Reuters.
An ambulance worker in Gaza City’s Shejaiya district told Reuters by telephone that crews were often unable to respond to calls they received from injured victims.
“It hurts us, but we have tried before in the last few days to go there and our team came under attack from Israel,” he said, asking not to be named for fear of Israeli retaliation.
“We believe there are people who were martyred in some areas east of Shejaiya and some other places, but no one can enter,” he explained.
Families in North Gaza posted messages on the internet pleading with emergency crews to go to Gaza City.
“We appeal to the Red Cross and civil emergency to immediately go to Attallah’s house. People are surrounded in their houses on Jalan Jala Gaza City, near the Zaharna building. “The house is on fire,” wrote Attallah’s family members.
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