On the hundredth day of the Gaza war, the humanitarian situation worsens

On Sunday, the war between Israel and Hamas entered its hundredth day despite international calls for a ceasefire in the conflict that has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. 

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner general of UNRWA, visiting the coastal region, stated, "The massive death, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss, and grief of the last 100 days are staining our shared humanity." 

He also confirmed that an entire generation of Gaza's children is suffering from "psychological trauma," diseases continue to spread, and "famine" looms on the horizon. 

The war between Israel and Hamas erupted following an attack by the Palestinian Islamic movement inside Israel on October 7th, resulting in approximately 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to a toll compiled by AFP based on Israeli figures. 

Around 250 people were held hostage during the attack, Israel says, with 132 of them still in Gaza. The deaths of 25 hostages were confirmed. About a hundred hostages were released during a truce at the end of November, in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners under an agreement mediated by Qatar. 

In response to the attack, Israel vowed to "eliminate" Hamas and has since conducted a destructive air campaign and a ground operation, with the majority of casualties being women, youth, and children, according to Hamas's health ministry. On Saturday, the ministry announced an increase in the death toll of the operation to 23,843 and over sixty thousand injured. 

AFP