Media reports say that as Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip, the death toll in the small coastal enclave has surpassed 21,000.
Al Jazeera reported yesterday that an overwhelming number of more than 21,000 people killed in the nearly three months of Israeli bombardment, which is the most destructive in recent history, have been civilians.
Israel has reportedly repeatedly targeted schools, and even neonatal care centers have not been spared, resulting in the killing of newborn babies.
Al Jazeera notes that according to Save the Children data in early November, a child was being killed every 10 minutes. The UN has called the besieged Palestinian enclave “a graveyard” for children due to the high casualty figures.
China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, reported yesterday that the number of Palestinian deaths due to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 21,320 with 55,603 injured.
The ministry's spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra reportedly said in a statement that at least 210 people have been killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours.
He noted that the Israeli army deliberately targeted 104 ambulances and 142 health institutions in the Strip, calling on international institutions to intervene to protect health institutions and restart the disabled hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Hamas media office in Gaza announced two journalists were killed on Thursday in Israeli raids, bringing the total number of journalists killed to 105 since October 7, Xinhua noted.
HAMAS’s military wing is called Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Wikipedia says that while the number of members is known only to the Brigades leadership, Israel estimates the Brigades have a core of several hundred members who receive military style training. Additionally, the brigades have estimated 10,000 – 17,000 operatives, forming a backup force whenever circumstances call for reinforcements for the Brigade.
