1 00:00:01,733 --> 00:00:03,866 GEOFF BENNETT: In Northern Gaza, it was another day of mass death, 2 00:00:03,866 --> 00:00:08,600 with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 88 people, including many children, 3 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,633 as the Israel Defense Forces continue ground operations there. 4 00:00:12,633 --> 00:00:16,300 Hospitals were flooded with injured and doctors have few, if any, 5 00:00:16,300 --> 00:00:21,300 supplies to treat the wounded. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped and no substantial 6 00:00:23,666 --> 00:00:26,333 food or aid has been allowed into the area for weeks. That's as Israel's Parliament passed two 7 00:00:28,366 --> 00:00:32,066 measures that effectively outlaw the U.N. agency charged with aiding Palestinians. 8 00:00:32,833 --> 00:00:34,233 Here's Nick Schifrin. 9 00:00:34,233 --> 00:00:38,133 And a caution: Images in this story are disturbing. 10 00:00:40,433 --> 00:00:43,800 NICK SCHIFRIN: Underneath buildings that have become carcasses, lives end in canvas shrouds 11 00:00:46,333 --> 00:00:51,300 or wrapped in carpets. Today in Beit Lahia, the bodies lay side by side across the street 12 00:00:53,266 --> 00:00:57,666 from what used to be a single apartment block destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. 13 00:00:59,633 --> 00:01:04,500 Residents said there was no warning for the men buried under the rubble, 14 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:09,500 for the girl burned trying to escape. There are no emergency workers left, so survivors 15 00:01:11,433 --> 00:01:16,300 are forced to carry the dead, and boys are forced to comprehend the incomprehensible. 16 00:01:18,066 --> 00:01:22,000 Many of the injured arrived in nearby Al-Awda Hospital. Its director, 17 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,533 Mohammed Salha, spoke to us by phone. 18 00:01:24,533 --> 00:01:26,933 DR. MOHAMMED SALHA, Director, Al-Awda Hospital: We are receiving 40 injured 19 00:01:26,933 --> 00:01:31,733 here. We're doing three lifesaving operation. We have shortage of medication, medical supplies, 20 00:01:33,466 --> 00:01:36,866 fuel, and shortage of food. Only we are eating one meal per day. All 21 00:01:38,966 --> 00:01:42,066 our department is full of patient, all the beds. We are putting beds in the corridors. 22 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,533 NICK SCHIFRIN: For weeks, Al-Awda has received an overwhelming number of dead 23 00:01:49,333 --> 00:01:53,300 and hosted an overwhelming number of funerals. And now shortages that began 24 00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:58,200 three months ago have become acute after the hospital became a target. 25 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:03,166 DR. MOHAMMED SALHA: So they destroyed two floors; 48 of beds are destroyed from our capacity. They 26 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,400 destroyed our store of medical supplies. Nobody can help, because there's no ambulances. The 27 00:02:11,566 --> 00:02:15,600 situation became worse and worse and worse. And we can't deal with these huge number of injuries. 28 00:02:17,733 --> 00:02:21,033 NICK SCHIFRIN: Al-Awda is in the middle of a four-week-old Israeli operation in Northern 29 00:02:21,033 --> 00:02:26,033 Gaza focused on Jabalia. The Israeli military says Hamas has regrouped here, 30 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,400 storing weapons and explosives in local schools and in another local hospital. 31 00:02:35,066 --> 00:02:38,066 Kamal Adwan, North Gaza still has terrorist infrastructure and Hamas 32 00:02:38,066 --> 00:02:43,066 leaders that must be targeted, says Israel's top general, Herzi Halevi. 33 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,433 LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, Chief of Staff, Israeli Defense Forces (through translator): Jabalia 34 00:02:47,433 --> 00:02:49,633 is falling. This is another psychological collapse. And if we take out the Northern Gaza 35 00:02:49,633 --> 00:02:54,600 brigade commander, it's another collapse. This pressure brings us closer to more achievements. 36 00:02:56,066 --> 00:02:57,933 NICK SCHIFRIN: To do that, Israel has tried to evacuate 37 00:02:57,933 --> 00:03:02,366 400,000 residents who have nowhere to stay or go. 38 00:03:02,366 --> 00:03:07,000 DR. MOHAMMED SALHA: The situation has became worse and worse and worse. No place is safe 39 00:03:08,933 --> 00:03:11,466 in the north. So we are really live in a disaster in the north. You can't imagine 40 00:03:11,466 --> 00:03:15,533 how was the situation. People is in the streets. There's no shelters, no markets, 41 00:03:15,533 --> 00:03:20,533 nothing. The people is like to die and not to live this life. 42 00:03:22,866 --> 00:03:25,900 NICK SCHIFRIN: Nearly all of Gaza's health sector is run by UNRWA, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, 43 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:31,266 that in more peaceful times served nearly six million Palestinians in Gaza and across the 44 00:03:31,266 --> 00:03:36,266 region with schools and especially today emergency, and humanitarian assistance. 45 00:03:38,566 --> 00:03:41,733 For years, Israel has criticized the agency's reference to refugees. But since October the 7th, 46 00:03:43,766 --> 00:03:47,800 Israel says multiple UNRWA schools turned shelters became Hamas command-and-control 47 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,800 centers. Underneath UNRWA Gaza's headquarters, 48 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:55,466 Israel says it found a Hamas tunnel. And earlier this year, Israel released a dossier 49 00:03:55,466 --> 00:04:00,466 that said four UNRWA staffers were involved in kidnapping Israelis, six UNRWA staffers in total 50 00:04:02,666 --> 00:04:06,400 infiltrated into Israel, and UNRWA acts under the authorization and supervision of Hamas. 51 00:04:08,333 --> 00:04:11,933 And so last night, Israel's Parliament banned UNRWA from Israel. The bills passed 52 00:04:11,933 --> 00:04:16,933 overwhelmingly, with the support of centrist politicians like Yesh Atid member Ron Katz. 53 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,400 RON KATZ, Israeli Knesset Member (through translator): The UNRWA organization that has been 54 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:26,233 proven beyond any doubt to be part of Hamas took an active part during October 7 in the kidnapping, 55 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,733 the murder, in all the actions that we know that the Hamas organization did in the state of Israel. 56 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,466 NICK SCHIFRIN: This summer, the U.N. fired nine UNRWA employees for participating in October 57 00:04:38,466 --> 00:04:43,466 the 7th, but absolved others, and promised to improve vetting of its 13,000 Gaza employees. 58 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,600 ANTONIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General: We have an 59 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,066 inspection that is working in order to detect any areas of infiltration that might exist. 60 00:04:53,233 --> 00:04:57,433 NICK SCHIFRIN: Israel promises to replace UNRWA either with other U.N. agencies or private 61 00:04:57,433 --> 00:05:02,433 contractors. But the U.S. and U.N. say UNRWA is the only organization that can keep Gazans alive. 62 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,333 LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: There is no alternative 63 00:05:06,333 --> 00:05:10,533 to UNRWA when it comes to delivering food and other lifesaving aid in Gaza. 64 00:05:13,166 --> 00:05:16,866 NICK SCHIFRIN: The legislation doesn't go into effect for three months. In the meantime, 65 00:05:16,866 --> 00:05:21,866 in North Gaza, the bodies continue to arrive on the back of carts. 66 00:05:23,033 --> 00:05:25,600 For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.