RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestine Red Crescent Society resumed ambulance and emergency services in North Gaza governorate on Sunday after a two-month suspension.

Services had been halted due to Israeli occupation forces besieging the Gaza Ambulance Center and Al-Quds Hospital, the Red Crescent said in a statement.

Additional vehicles were deployed to boost services in North Gaza after the occupation destroyed many ambulances during raids on the Jabalia Ambulance Center about three weeks ago, the statement added.

According to its figures, eight Red Crescent staff have been killed and 29 others wounded since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.

The Israeli army targeted 18 Red Crescent buildings and destroyed 18 ambulances, it said in a previous statement.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv claims killed 1,200 people in Israel.

At least 23,968 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 60,582 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio