Gaza martyrs' toll soars to 10,569 as terrorist Israel continues to pound refugee camps, hospitals
GAZA, Palestine (AFP) - The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said the martyrs' toll from the war there reached 10,569 on Wednesday, as fighting in the Palestinian territory enters its second month.
The ministry said there were 4,324 children and 2,823 women among the martyrs, with more than 26,000 more wounded since war broke out on October 7.
The widespread and systematic bombardment of housing and civilian infrastructure in Gaza amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity, an independent United Nations expert said Wednesday.
A month of Israeli attacks on targets within the Gaza Strip have destroyed or damaged 45 percent of all housing units in the Palestinian territory, Balakrishnan Rajagopal said, warning the destruction comes at a "tremendous cost to human life".
The UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing stressed that systematic or widespread bombardment of housing, civilian objects and infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international law.
"Carrying out hostilities with the knowledge that they will systematically destroy and damage civilian housing and infrastructure, rendering an entire city -- such as Gaza City -- uninhabitable for civilians is a war crime," he said.
When such acts are "directed against a civilian population, they also amount to crimes against humanity", he said.
Meanwhile, Israel said it was tightening the 'stranglehold' around Hamas in Gaza City as the military operation aimed at smashing the Palestinian militants gathered pace despite ceasefire calls.
Smoke billowed above the densely-populated coastal territory as fighting raged over a month. "(Israeli troops) are tightening the stranglehold around the city of Gaza," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said late Tuesday.
People waving white flags have been fleeing the fighting, while the steadily mounting toll has meant vehicles from donkey-drawn carts to bulldozers have been pressed into transporting the dead.
