Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 2,670

By Mohammed Abudoun

GAZA, Palestine (AA) – The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,670, the Health Ministry in Gaza said on Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said 750 children were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.

The number of wounded has risen to 9,600, the ministry also said.

Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers' growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern region.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala