Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Gaza’s media office on Tuesday said that Israel’s bombing of the strip is the equivalent of the 1945 “nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan.”

Salama Maarouf, head of the media office in the Gaza Strip, said in a press conference that Israel has dropped over 12,000 tons of explosives since Oct. 7.

“An average of 33 tons of explosives were dropped per square kilometer on the Palestinian enclave since Israel started its aggression,” the statement added.

As of Oct. 25, the death toll in Gaza has reached over 5,790, with over 2,300 of those being children.

Home to 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip has a total area of 365 square kilometers.

After Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces launched a heavy bombardment on the Palestinian territory and has put the residents under a complete siege with a blockade of food, fuel and medical supplies.

Gaza’s health ministry also announced a “complete collapse” of its healthcare system, with 12 hospitals and 32 healthcare centers currently out of service.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned in a post on X that if fuel is not allowed into the strip, the organization will be forced to halt all operations on Oct. 25.

🛑@UNRWA warning: If we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the📍#GazaStrip as of tomorrow night.

🆘 @UN agency says its #Gaza operation will end tomorrow ‘if we don’t get fuel’@JulietteTouma @BBCNews https://t.co/JfQLPwmSGb

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 24, 2023