Gaza death toll grow fast, victims include over 5,840 children, 3,920 women, says Health Ministry in besieged enclave.
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,128, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.
“The victims include over 5,840 children and 3,920 women,” the ministry added in a statement.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in the Israeli offensive.
An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
As Israel focus on destroying hospitals and many public infrastractures in Gaza, The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that health services in Gaza have suffered “catastrophic” damage, with most hospitals no longer functioning.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, said 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza, “so we have twice or three times the population [in the south of Gaza], using one-third of the hospital beds in less than a third of the hospitals available”. He added:
Even if tomorrow morning, this were to end in terms of a ceasefire, we still have a huge problem on our hands.
Health services have been unable to provide care for more complex medical cases – including care for most cancer and kidney dialysis patients, he said. In addition, about 5,500 births are expected in the next month, which will likely overwhelm the system, he said.
The hospital situation – the primary health care system situation – in Gaza is catastrophic and it is the worst you can imagine [in the] north.
