485 health workers killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7

By Muhammed Emin Canik

ISTANBUL (AA) - Since Oct.7, 485 health workers and 66 civil defense officials have been killed in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

A statement by the Media Office of the government in Gaza reported that the Israeli army "has committed 3,002 massacres in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7."

The statement stated that 14,685 children and 9,670 women were killed in the Israeli army's attacks on the coastal enclave, 7,000 people were under the rubble or missing, the number of dead who reached the hospitals was 33,970, and 76,770 people were injured.

It underlined that 72% of the victims of Israeli attacks are women and children.

It highlighted that 30 children lost their lives due to malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza, where Israel caused a humanitarian disaster by preventing the entry of aid.

The statement further stressed that the Israeli army has attacked Gaza with more than 75,000 tons of explosives since Oct. 7.

- 140 journalists killed

It also pointed out that 140 journalists were killed during the Israeli attacks, emphasizing that 17,000 children live in Gaza without one or both of their parents due to Israeli attacks.

It was stated that the number of wounded people with life-threatening injuries who need to be treated abroad is 11,000 and 10,000 cancer patients are in danger of death due to inadequate health services.

Pointing to the inhumane situation in the crowded shelters where displaced Palestinians took refuge, it was reported that over 1 million cases of infectious diseases and more than 8,000 cases of "Hepatitis A" were detected as a result of displacement.

It noted that 60,000 pregnant women and 350,000 people with chronic diseases in Gaza are in life-threatening danger due to the lack of health care due to the lack of medication.

According to the statement, the Israeli army has detained more than 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza since it launched its attacks.

It emphasized that Israeli soldiers detained 310 health workers and 20 journalists, and 2 million people were displaced in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million.

- Massive damage to houses, hospitals, schools, mosques

It also revealed that 86,000 houses were completely destroyed in Israel's attacks on Gaza, and 294,000 houses were damaged and uninhabitable.

The media office underscored that the Israeli army destroyed 178 government facilities and 103 schools and universities, while 309 schools and universities were partially damaged.

It reported that the Israeli army damaged 313 mosques in Gaza, 237 of which were completely destroyed, and targeted three churches.

It stated that Israel targeted 159 health institutions in Gaza, disabled 53 health centers and 32 hospitals, and rendered 126 ambulances unusable, adding that Israel also targeted the cultural heritage of Palestine and destroyed 206 historical and cultural assets in Gaza.

Israel has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while over 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul