Dozens of people in Gaza have gathered in Deir el-Balah to call for a ceasefire as Israel’s assault on the enclave has wreaked havoc on civilians and displaced more than 80 percent of the population.
The Associated Press reports that women and children chanted, “People want to end the war,” and “We want to go back to the north [of Gaza]”.
One girl also held a sign saying, “Yes to returning the prisoners.”
Meanwhile UNRWA reports “mass casualties” as training centre sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Khan Younis catches fire after being struck amid fierce fighting.
Israeli forces continue tank-and-drone strikes on Khan Younis city with at least 210 people killed over the past 24 hours.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said risks of a regional war are “now a reality”, urging all sides “to step back from the brink and consider the horrendous costs”.
Israel unleashed its latest war in Gaza after Hamas attacks inside Israel on October 7.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least, 25,700 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, have been killed in the conflict. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are displaced, causing a humanitarian disaster.
The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
