Over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, Hamas-run ministry says
At least 15,207 Palestinians have been killed in total as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, according to a spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza.
At least 40,652 others have been injured in Gaza during the conflict, and 70% of the victims are children and women, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra said in a news conference Saturday.
At least 193 Palestinians have been killed since a truce between Hamas and Israel expired on Friday and Israel resumed its offensive in the enclave, the ministry said.
Some background: CNN cannot independently verify the numbers released by the ministry in Gaza, which is sealed off by Israel and mostly sealed by Egypt.
Israel has said it is targeting Hamas operatives in Gaza, repeatedly accusing Hamas of embedding in civilian infrastructure and using civilians as human shields — a defense echoed by officials from its close ally the United States.
But the US has also acknowledged the devastating civilian toll in Gaza and urged Israel to take more care to protect civilians in the next phase of its war. "Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed," US Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday.
Hospitals in peril: Twenty hospitals in the Gaza Strip are still out of service, despite some medical centers partially resuming operations after receiving fuel during the now-expired truce, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank said in a statement.
Al-Qudra said the bed occupancy in Gaza’s hospitals was at 171%, while the intensive care unit occupancy is 221%.
“All hospitals are overcrowded with the number of wounded, exceeding their medical capabilities and capacity, and lacking surgical tools and bone stabilizers. Hospitals lost their capacity to treat patients, and hundreds of patients and injured receive treatment on the floor,” he added
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