The continued siege on the Gaza Strip enters its eighteenth day on 24 October, coming off one of the deadliest airstrikes on Palestinians since the start of the conflict, with Palestinian officials reporting over 400 deaths in 24 hours. The attacks also resulted in the deaths of 23 journalists – 19 Palestinians, 3 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese – and 6 staff members from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA). On the same day, Hamas released two hostages after negotiations with Egypt and Qatar. Reports hint that more hostages will be released in the coming days. The UNWRA is set to run out of fuel reserves to provide relief for Gaza starting today, according to a warning issued on 22 October by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. Israel continues to block fuel aid from entering the Gaza Strip. Happening today Update 7: Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qedra announced the collapse of the Gaza health system, with 12 hospitals and 30 healthcare centers out of service, and lacking fuel. Update 6: Video footage from Quds News Network indicates another round of Israeli air raids near Al-Wafa Hospital, placing another hospital…
