10 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City gathering

Gaza: At least 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a gathering in southern Gaza City, medical sources and eyewitnesses said Wednesday.

Local eyewitnesses told Xinhua that a drone targeted a gathering of Palestinians in the Zaytoun neighborhood south of Gaza City with one missile.

Medical sources told Xinhua that the casualties were transferred to the hospital in the city and 20 others were injured with varying degrees of injuries.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said that 75 percent of Gaza residents suffered forced displacement, with a large number of them displaced four to five times since the conflict broke out last October.

UNRWA said in a post on social media platform X that thousands of Palestinian families have nowhere to go, noting that Israeli military operations and bombardment pose a continuous threat and buildings have turned into rubble with no haven in Gaza.

The agency’s health centers in Gaza have not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days due to the closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings in southern Gaza, it noted.

It said this affects the stock of medications, especially antibiotics for children and anti-seizure drugs, as well as some laboratory materials, dental materials, and vaccines not being available.

As of Sunday, only 96 medical points and seven out of 24 UNRWA health centers were operational, providing primary health care services, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, medications, vaccinations, prenatal care, postnatal care, and changing bandages for the wounded.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.