Palestinian Red Crescent Loses Contact with Crews as Gaza Death Toll Mounts

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has lost contact with its crews in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, West Bank, amid escalating violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. This comes as the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 42 Palestinians have been killed and 63 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in Gaza to 34,012 since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.

In Tulkarem, at least seven Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli incursion into the city and its refugee camp, including a 16-year-old boy, Qais Fathi Nasrallah, who was shot in the head. Palestinian government television reported that Israeli forces "killed 5 Palestinians inside a house in the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarm city." The Israeli army continues its military operations in the area, using bulldozers and police dogs, causing extensive damage to infrastructure.

Why this matters: The escalating violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip highlights the pressing necessity for a peaceful resolution to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The loss of civilian lives and the destruction of critical infrastructure have far-reaching consequences for the region's stability and the well-being of its inhabitants.

In Gaza, the health ministry stated that more than 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip are left without health services after Israel intentionally destroyed the health system in the north. The ministry accused Israeli forces of direct killings of medical personnel and patients in al Shifa hospital and other hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization described the destruction as rendering al Shifa non-functional as a hospital, with only four out of 30 hospitals partially operational in the Gaza Strip.

The ongoing detention campaigns and the destruction in the Nur Shams camp have sparked outrage and condemnation from Palestinian activists and human rights organizations. The Palestinian Prisoners' Day was observed on April 17th, with the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reporting that over 8,270 Palestinians have been detained since October 7, with allegations of torture and abuse in Israeli prisons.

According to Palestinian official sources, at least <a href="https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2024/04/19/palestinian-killed-by-israeli-army

Key Takeaways

• Palestinian Red Crescent lost contact with crews in Nur Shams refugee camp amid violence.
• 42 Palestinians killed, 63 injured in Gaza in past 24 hours; total death toll 34,012 since Oct 2023.
• 7 Palestinians killed in Israeli incursion into Tulkarem, including 16-year-old boy shot in head.
• Israel destroyed Gaza's health system, leaving over 600,000 without services; only 4 of 30 hospitals operational.
• Over 8,270 Palestinians detained since Oct 2023, with allegations of torture and abuse in prisons.