Israel controls 77% of Gaza as ‘genocide, ethnic cleansing’ continues

The Israeli military is in effect controlling 77 percent of the Gaza Strip through “continued genocide, ethnic cleansing”, the enclave’s Government Media Office says, calling on the UN and the international community to take action to stop “blatant defiance of all international laws and norms”.

At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several of his family members.

Israel has allowed 100 trucks carrying aid into Gaza since Wednesday, officials say, an amount that is nowhere near what’s needed to help the enclave’s two million people as they face famine.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,939 Palestinians and wounded 122,797, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.