Israeli attacks on Gaza kill over 1,000 women, leave half a million displaced,: Media office

GAZA, Palestine (AA) - Israel’s ongoing military operation against the Gaza Strip has killed over 1,000 women and forced the displacement of about half a million others from their homes since Oct. 7, the media office of the Gaza government said Sunday.

The office said in a statement that as of Sunday, 1,023 women have been killed.

"The Israeli occupation's continued crimes against women, girls and children constitutes a war crime condemned by all international and humanitarian conventions,” it said.

The statement cited figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry which said that more than 1,900 children have been killed in the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

It also referred to a report issued by UN Women which said the number of widows who have become heads of their families after the deaths of their husbands has surpassed 1,000.

The media office called on women's institutions concerned with children's rights to "stand against of the crimes of the occupation and expose its behavior of targeting Palestinian children and women."

The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron in the Gaza Strip.

At least 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.

Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out.

On Saturday, a humanitarian aid convoy began entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt. It was the first aid delivery to Gaza since armed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas.