Gaza civil defense says 83 personnel killed since last October

The Gaza civil defense announced on Sunday the death of its deputy director for northern Gaza in an Israeli airstrike, raising the number of personnel killed since Oct. 7, 2023 to 83.

In a statement, spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal mourned "the martyrdom of Mohammad Abdelhay Morsi, the deputy director of civil defense in northern Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli strike targeting his family's home early this morning in the Al-Alami area of Jabalia."

Bassal said that besides the 83 personnel killed, over 200 others are wounded.

He highlighted challenges faced by the civil defense teams, including a shortage of specialized rescue equipment and a lack of fuel and spare parts necessary to continue their operations to protect lives and property.

Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas incursion last year.