Gaza genocide toll rises to 44,664; situation extremely bad: UNRWA

The health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that at least 44,664 people have been killed in nearly 14 months of war between Israel and Palestinian fighters.

The toll includes 52 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 105,976 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023.

Spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as extremely bad as no one can express the dire unfolding situation there.

In a press meeting held in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, Wateridge said that Gazans are sorely in need of life-saving essential items as they're bereft of water, food, women necessities, and hygiene tools, as well as shelters to protect them from storm water.

She expressed her frustration over the lack of bathrooms, sinks, and places for displaced people to bathe, emphasizing that all Palestinians are demanding an end to the war and a return to their homes, stressing that all they want is to have access to water, return to their homes, and feel the security they have been missing for 14 months.