Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the central Gaza Strip as Israel presses its ground offensive to capture Gaza City. AFP
“For more than two long years, UNRWA has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The scale of suffering and destruction is unimaginable,” the agency wrote on its Facebook page.
“Tens of thousands have been killed or injured, including women and children. On Peace Day, we once again call for an immediate ceasefire,” it added.
The call came as Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza City and other parts of the strip, leaving dozens dead and flattening residential buildings.
Hospital sources in Gaza reported that at least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes since early Sunday, including 16 in Gaza City.
Palestinian media said that since Saturday morning, Israeli airstrikes have killed 107 people across the strip.
The latest attacks come as several Western countries prepare to recognize a Palestinian state during this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
Among these countries are the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium, and Luxembourg. On Friday, Portugal’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it would formally recognize Palestine on Sunday, after previously announcing its intention to do so.
Israel launched a ground offensive into Gaza City last week as part of a broader operation to take control of the city.
Thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing by car and on foot, though many in the famine-hit city remain unable or unwilling to leave. Some are too weak; others cannot afford the cost of moving.
Along the coastal Wadi Gaza route, displaced families paused to rest, with children taking short breaks from the long journey. “No water, electricity, or internet. People are forced to leave with nothing,” resident Seif Abu Oomsan told AP.
“They target us with weapons you wouldn’t imagine, like science fiction. They target us with missiles we have never heard of,” he added.
Israeli media reported that the military believes more than 500,000 people have left Gaza City since the beginning of September.
Hamas disputes this figure, saying the number is closer to 300,000 and that about 900,000 people remain in the city.
On Wednesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza in a bid to "destroy the Palestinians" there.
“Genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing,” commission chief Navi Pillay told AFP. “The responsibility lies with the State of Israel.”
The commission, which investigates the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, published its latest report nearly two years after the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023.
Since the start of the war, Israel has killed nearly 65,000 people, wounded more than 160,000 — mostly women and children, and destroyed most of the strip’s infrastructure.
In August, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first ever in the Middle East, citing Israel’s complete blockade of humanitarian aid for 2.3 million Palestinians.
More than 450 Palestinians have died from starvation and severe malnutrition in the past six months as a result of the Israeli blockade.
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