52,000 Palestinians displaced in Gaza: UN

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli air strikes that have destroyed or badly damaged nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip, said the UN aid agency.

About 47,000 of the displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesman of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters.

Laerke also said 132 buildings had been destroyed and 316 had been severely damaged, including six hospitals and nine primary healthcare centres.

Palestinian ministry of health calling for blood donors

Gaza-based journalist Youmna al-Sayed, reporting from Gaza City, said that the severity of the situation at Al-Shifa hospital is increasing.

“The ministry of health said that Gaza is struggling with an acute shortage of medical supplies and medicines, while it is calling for volunteers to donate blood,” she said, adding that the hospital is struggling with electricity and water shortages.