Medical sources in the Gaza Strip announced today, Thursday, June 18, that the death toll as a result of the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression has risen to 73,018 dead and 173,273 injured since October 7, 2023.

The medical sources explained in their daily statistical statement that the hospitals in the Gaza Strip received two new deaths and several injuries during the past 24 hours as a result of the continuous Israeli violations, pointing out that the total number of martyrs since the entry into force of the last ceasefire agreement last October has risen to 1007 dead, at a time when thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads due to the inability of civil defense crews to reach them.

In this context, the Israeli occupation forces arrested 9 Palestinians during a large-scale raid and raid carried out in the cities of Nablus and Qalqilya in the West Bank.

According to security and local sources to Wafa correspondent, the invading forces raided citizens' homes and destroyed their contents in the towns of Asira, Tal, Azzun and Jayyous, before taking the nine detainees to their military interrogation centers.

Security Council Meets

The 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council requested an emergency public session on Thursday to discuss the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted diplomatic sources as saying that four permanent members of the council (China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) supported the request, and where the council is scheduled to listen to a comprehensive briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher on the obstacles facing the flow of relief aid.

UN report: Grave Israeli violations against children

UN Secretary-General António Guterres' annual report on "Children and Armed Conflict" for 2025 showed a shocking 34% jump in the rate of grave violations against children globally.

The draft report, obtained by Anadolu Agency, revealed that the United Nations has documented 12,436 grave violations committed by Israeli forces and settlers against children in occupied Palestine (distributed between Gaza and the West Bank), noting that horrific cases have been monitored that included the use of children as human shields, the detention of 981 Palestinian children without charge, as well as the increased risks of incorporating AI technologies into operations targeting civilians.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Israeli settler groups could be placed directly on the "global blacklist" (list of shame) for violating children's rights, if their recorded rates of abuse are repeated.

In the context of his UN report, Guterres expressed his deep appallment at the widespread and systematic use of explosive weapons in densely populated Palestinian areas, stressing that the targeting of schools, hospitals, ambulances, and the obstruction of aid is a flagrant violation of all international laws.