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Israeli air strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians in the past 48 hours, health authorities in Gaza said on Tuesday, as fatal attacks continued on homes, schools and shelters full of civilians.
At least 200 people have been killed and “remain trapped under the rubble” following Israeli air strikes in the past two days, said Dr Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
Intense bombardment continued overnight and into Tuesday morning, with several air strikes reported on Gaza city and other parts of the north that have been under an intense Israeli siege for more than 60 days.
Jabalia and its refugee camp, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia have been the focus of an “intense” ground, air and naval attack since the siege began, Gaza's government media office said on Monday.
Three people were killed on Tuesday morning in an air strike on Beit Lahia, the official Wafa news agency reported, while a drone strike killed one in the southern city of Rafah. Hours earlier, several people were killed in attacks on Gaza city.
A child was killed in tank fire on a school-turned-shelter in Jabalia, sources in Gaza said.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 44,500 Palestinians and wounded 105,454 since the war began last October, Gaza's Health Ministry said. At least 10,000 others are missing, presumed to be buried under rubble, civil defence officials said.
The UN says it will take decades to rebuild Gaza. Successive raids have forced almost all of its hospitals out of service, with medical staff detained by the Israeli army and wounded Palestinians left with little options for treatment.
On Tuesday, local authorities said 80 per cent of Gaza's water supply infrastructure has been destroyed, posing a “catastrophic” risk to public health and the environment.
Israeli attacks are forcing the shutdown of desalination plants across the enclave, the Water Authority said in a statement, closing off the only remaining source of clean water. “What we are witnessing today in the Gaza Strip is the absence of the most important component of life,” it added.
