Palestinian death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza surges to 900

By Muhammed Emin Canik, Merve Berker and Mohammed Majed

ANKARA/ GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to 900 amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement said the Israeli attacks killed 260 children and 230 women while injuring 4,500 others.

It added that 150 members of 22 Palestinian families were massacred.

Pointing out that Israel is also targeting health workers, the ministry said six health workers have been killed and 15 others have been injured in Gaza to date, while eight journalists have lost their lives in the ongoing Israeli army bombardment.

Israel continued its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for the third day on Tuesday, following a multi-front Hamas attack on Israeli towns near the seaside territory. Hamas said the attack was in response to Israeli violations in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and imposed a total blockade on the territory, which is home to nearly 2.2 million people.

The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it launched massive airstrikes against more than 100 targets in Gaza. The army said its forces killed four Palestinian gunmen who attempted to infiltrate Israel near Zikim near Gaza.

Israeli forces shelled Palestinian fishing boats at Gaza Port, leaving a number of boats in flames.

The army also said Hamas economy minister, Juad Abu Smallah, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis city in Gaza.

Hamas later confirmed that two of its officials were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The group retaliated by firing volleys of rockets at central cities in Israel, including Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, Beersheba and Rishon LeZion.

Hamas said it had shelled Ashkelon with hundreds of rockets in response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza. The Palestinian movement also said it fired rockets aimed at Ben Gurion Airport.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in the escalation since Saturday, including more than 1,000 Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to use all of Israel’s strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and “take revenge for this black day.”