Tahani al-Najjar walks past her destroyed house in Gaza with her children — Reuters GAZA, Nov 29 (BBC/AP/AFP): Untreated diseases could eventually kill more people in Gaza than bombings if the health system is not restored, the World Health Organization says. Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are widespread among children in overcrowded UN facilities where almost 1.1 million people are sheltering.
Patients with chronic illnesses like cancer are also receiving no treatment. The warning comes as a truce between Israel and Hamas entered a fifth day, after a 48-hour extension was agreed.
The deal mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States should see an additional 20 Israeli women and children held hostage in Gaza being released in exchange for 60 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli prisons.
On Monday, 11 hostages and 33 prisoners were freed on the fourth and final day of the initial agreement, bringing the totals to 50 hostages and 150 prisoners released. Nineteen foreign nationals, one of whom has Israeli citizenship, have also been handed over by Hamas under separate agreements.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza and imposed a siege in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and about 240 others taken hostage.
Israel releases 30 prisoners after
Hamas frees 12 hostages
The latest swap of Hamas militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel took place Tuesday evening as part of a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides.
Ten Israeli hostages - nine women and a 17-year-old girl - and two Thais were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were back in Israeli territory, the military said. About an hour later, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their cease-fire until Wednesday, raising the prospect of further exchanges. Since Friday, Hamas has released 81 hostages, mostly Israeli nationals, while Israel has freed 180 Palestinian prisoners.
Erdogan calls Netanyahu
'butcher of Gaza'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the butcher of Gaza" and accused him of spawning anti-Semitism across the world.
Erdogan has lashed out repeatedly at Israel for the scale of death and destruction caused by its response to Hamas militants' unprecedented October 7 cross-border attack.
He has branded Israel a "terrorist state" and called Hamas "a liberation group".
Erdogan redoubled those attacks during an appearance before his Islamic- rooted ruling party members in parliament.
Israeli forces kill two Palestinian
teenagers in West Bank
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed Tuesday during Israeli army raids in the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said.
According to the ministry, Amir Wahdan, 14, was killed in Tubas in the northern West Bank, where the army said troops had gone in to arrest "two wanted suspects".
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