Gaza Tragedy: 280 Children, 98 Women, 97 Elderly Killed Among 905 Martyrs

RAMALLAH, January 12, 2009 (WAFA)- On the seventeenth day of the Israeli aggression on Gaza , the death toll reached 905 Palestinians, 280 of whom are children and 98 are women, 97 are elderly and 12 medical personnel are among the fatalities. The number of injured mounted to 3860, including 1333 children and 587 women. An estimated 413 are considered critically injured. According to a report issued by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the danger to medical staff and the difficulty of extracting the injured from collapsed buildings makes proper evacuation and estimation of casualties difficult. Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights reported that an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 Gazans have been displaced, including up to 50,000 children; 25,696 people were given refuge in UNRWAs 31 shelters. OCHA report sated that “only 30% of Gaza City is receiving electricity and power supply for the rest is intermittent.” OCHA report added that Gaza hospitals remain under intense pressure due to the high number of wounded who continue to be brought in for treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the main problem currently facing the health sector is access, in terms of the access of staff, procured medicines and equipment to hospitals, and patient referrals out of the Gaza Strip.