Israeli army continues to bomb Gaza as Palestinians' death toll surpasses 12,000

GAZA CITY – Israeli armed forces continued to bomb residential neighborhoods and sites in the Gaza Strip, and amid relentless bombing, the Palestinian death toll surged past 12,000.

Jewish forces continued raids at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s leading medical facility, for third day, and four premature babies passed away in the wake of power outages.

Besides the continued raids at Al Shifa hospital, the Israeli army continues late-night air strikes on residential buildings in the Nuseirat area, killing scores of people.

Amid the catastrophic situation, humanitarian agencies have sounded alarm that Gaza residents face the threat of starvation and infection outbreaks amid cold weather. United Nation World Food Programme and WHO said the entire population of Gaza is in desperate need of assistance.

The month-long bombing forced almost all hospitals and healthcare centers out of service.

Tel Aviv launched attacks on Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last month. Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have been damaged or destroyed in the Israeli offensive.

As the death toll crossed 12,000 mark, more than 5,000 deceased are children and 3,300 women, while 30,000 others have been injured.