250 Palestinians killed, 500 injured from Israeli airstrikes in past 24 hours: Ministry

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - At least 250 Palestinians were killed and 500 others injured from Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday.

In a statement, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said medical teams are unable to treat all of the injured arriving at the hospitals while noting they are dealing with types of injuries they have not seen in previous wars.

He added that the bed occupancy rate at operational hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip stands at 350%.

Al-Qudra also noted that the humanitarian and medical aid arriving in Gaza does not meet the needs of the hospitals.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surged to 20,674, the Health Ministry said Monday.

Al-Qudra said that 54,536 people had been injured in the months-long offensive.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar