Gaza Strip death toll surpasses 2,300 International support grows for Palestine

The number of dead in the Gaza Strip as a result of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict increased to 2,300 and over 9,000 people were injured.

"2,329 people died, another 9,042 received injuries of varying degrees of severity", - noted in the message of the Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip on Facebook, TASS reports.

Earlier, UNICEF spokeswoman Sarah Al Khattab said that at least 2,215 Palestinians, including 700 children, had been killed over the past week in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Hamas-controlled areas.

“According to the latest data from local health authorities, at least 2,215 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 700 children. More than 8,714 people, including 2,450 children, were injured,” CNN quoted Sarah Al Khattab as saying.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Health Minister May al-Kaila has said that all major hospitals in the Gaza Strip were completely or partially destroyed in regular bombings by Israel.

The Ad-Durra children's hospital, the large Al-Shifa hospital, and the Gaza Central Hospital were hit by airstrikes. All of them are partially destroyed.

“Other medical institutions are also out of order. Medical resources are on the verge of exhaustion,” the minister said.

Trying to do their best in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, volunteers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and structures belonging to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) refuse to leave the area, saying they don’t want to abandon those who need their help.

“We are deeply worried by the call for the resettlement of Gazans. Our volunteers refuse to leave and abandon those who need them most,” the ICRC and IFRC said in a joint statement.

The statement emphasizes that volunteers “must be protected so they can protect others.” The two organizations called on all parties to “exercise restraint and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

On October 14, Jordan's King Abdullah left for a European tour to garner support from the region's leaders for an end to the Israeli "war on Gaza", Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said.

The monarch, who met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 13, has had intensive contacts with leaders in the region and in the West to de-escalate the violence and prevent the region from being dragged into a wider war.

"The war is killing and displacing innocent Palestinians and will leave the region and the world facing the repercussion of an environment of destruction and despair that Israel will create in Gaza," Safadi said in comments after meeting his Canadian counterpart.

"It won't achieve security or lead to peace," Safadi said, in the toughest language from Jordan since the conflict that broke out after a devastating cross-border attack by Hamas a week ago.

"This will bring the region into the hell of war. We have to end this madness," he added.

In addition, some Egyptian officials have stated that Egypt refused to allow American citizens and foreigners to pass through the Rafah crossing unless an agreement is reached to allow the delivery of water, food, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Egypt has said its side of the Rafah crossing connecting Sinai with the Gaza Strip remains open, but Israeli strikes on the Palestinian side of the border have halted traffic.

In support of Palestinians, thousands gathered in Rome to voice support for Palestine and denounce Israel's recent attacks against Gaza. 

The demonstration was attended by people from various nationalities, including Italians, Palestinians and Arabs from all age groups. "Free Palestine," "Free Jerusalem" and "Freedom for Gaza" were frequently chanted, and red and green flares were lit in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

Protesters carried signs demanding an immediate end to the relentless bombardment of Gaza.

Another rally for Palestine was held in Naples.

Italian mosques offered prayers for Palestinians after Friday prayers, underscoring the widespread concern and empathy for the besieged community with the ongoing crisis.

Solidarity rallies are also anticipated in Milan, Palermo and Turin in the coming days.

At the same time, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed solidarity with Palestinians in a video posted on X.

“The main way to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to implement the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state,” Ramaphosa said in the clip, wearing the Palestinian Kufiyah -- an icon of Palestinian resistance.

"We extend our condolences to the families of the civilian victims during the recent clashes on both sides (Gaza Strip and Israel)," he said.

“The Israeli order to evacuate more than a million people from northern Gaza to its south would make the matter worse," he said.

He affirmed "South Africa's solidarity with the Palestinian people and its support for a peaceful solution,” and stressed that "a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine will reflect positively on the entire Middle East."

At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an emergency meeting in Jeddah on October 18 to discuss the war in Gaza, following an eight-day war that has left thousands dead and injured.

The Kingdom, which is chair of the Islamic Summit at its current session and chair of the OIC’s executive committee, called for the “open-ended” ministerial meeting to discuss the military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings and the worsening situation that threatens civilians and regional security and stability.