UPDATE - Death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli army in Gaza rises to 687: Health Ministry

UPDATES PALESTINIAN, ISRAELI CASUALTIES

By Ahmed Asmar and Mahmoud Barakat

ANKARA (AA) - The number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 687, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday amid ongoing fighting.

The ministry said that the death toll includes 140 children and 105 women.

It also said the number of injured rose to 3,726.

The Interior Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli army has "intensified its aggression" on Gaza with hundreds of raids.

The ministry confirmed in a statement that the Israeli targets in Gaza were residential buildings and public facilities including mosques.

The Israeli army, for its part, confirmed that it had struck over 500 targets in overnight raids on Gaza, which they claimed were targets belonging to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.

Gaza-based resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.