There is literally no safe place for civilians in Gaza, an UN official told reporters Tuesday in Geneva, as the Israeli offensive against Gaza entered its sixteenth day.
The spokesperson of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) Jens Laerke said over 100,000 are believed to have fled their homes, with United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) hosting nearly most of them in 69 schools.
Nearly 500 houses were totally or partially destroyed by Israeli air strikes, he said.
Juliette Touma from UNICEF ’s Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa said that 121 children are among the Palestinians killed by Israel.
Palestinian Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qodra, however, told Anadolu Agency Tuesday that Israeli air, naval and ground attacks have killed 606 Palestinians in Gaza, including 160 children and 77 women.
At least 107,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support (PSS) on the basis of families who have experienced death, injury or loss of their home over the past two weeks, Laerke said.
Help organizations need US$40 million to carry out emergency relief activities, he said, adding that 1.2 million people are living with no or very limited access to water or sanitation services.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization spokesperson Fadela Chaib said that 18 health centers in Gaza were damaged by Israeli strikes.
Since July 7, Israel has pounded the embattled coastal enclave with fierce air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.
On Thursday night, Israel stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled Palestinian territory.
According to Israeli official figures, 27 Israeli troops have since been killed in clashes with Palestinian fighters.
Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
