No let up in Gaza carnage, 76 killed over the weekend

By Nathan Morley

Health officials in Gaza say Israeli attacks have killed 76 Palestinians and wounded 158 over the last 24 hours.

The figures detailing deaths in Gaza make horrifying reading. Palestinian health officials say the overall death toll since last year now stands at 43,922.

On top of that, 103,898 people have been injured during the ongoing conflict.

The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry "called for immediate action" by the international community to end the "atrocities" being committed.

Over in Brussels, Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy, said he had exhausted words to explain what is happening in the Middle East.

As he is due to leave his role as the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs in December, Borrell expressed his frustration before chairing his final meeting of ministers in Brussels.

“There are about 44,000 dead in Gaza and 70% of those killed are women and children,” the Spanish official said. “When you look at their ages, they are most often children under 9 years old,” he added.

Attacks in Lebanon

Elsewhere, the Israeli army has confirmed that it had "eliminated" Hezbollah media manager Mohammad Afif, a man presented as the "propaganda chief" of the pro-Iranian Lebanese movement, in a strike the same day in the Beirut area.

Meanwhile, schools in Beirut and its surrounding areas will remain closed until Wednesday after two Israeli strikes targeted the heart of the capital within hours of each other.

On social media, the Lebanese Ministry of Health claimed 29 people had been killed and 122 others injured in the last twenty-four hours. The ministry added that 3,481 people have died and 14,786 have been injured since October 2023.

Elsewhere, three hundred cultural professionals have made an urgent appeal to UNESCO regarding the protection of Lebanese heritage

In their petition, the professionals, including archaeologists and academics, called on the institution to guarantee the protection of irreplaceable treasures.