Gaza bleeds under Israeli attacks as toll crosses 9,000 mark
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors among the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, Palestine, Nov. 2, 2023. (EPA Photo)


The Palestinian death toll in Gaza crossed the grim 9,0000 mark on Thursday, with 9,061 people confirmed killed in indiscriminate Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.

"The victims include 3,760 children and 2,326 women, while 32,000 other people were injured," ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.

He said 2,060 people were still trapped under the rubble in Gaza.

"The Israeli attacks left 135 medics dead and 25 ambulances destroyed," al-Qudra added.

According to the spokesperson, Israeli forces have targeted more than 100 health care facilities in Gaza since Oct. 7.

"Some 16 hospitals and 32 primary care centers were forced out of service due to the Israeli assault and fuel shortage," he added.

He warned of a "health catastrophe" amid a fuel shortage, which forced the main generator at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza to stop while the main generator at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City is about to halt.

4 killed in West Bank

The situation in the occupied West Bank also deteriorated Thursday after four Palestinians, including two teens, were killed by the Israeli army, bringing the death toll in the occupied territory since Oct. 7 to 134.

In a statement, the ministry said a 24-year-old succumbed to his injuries sustained this morning in the city of Al-Bireh.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Israeli special military forces raided the center of Al-Bireh, leading to clashes with dozens of Palestinians.

They said that the army used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the Palestinians.

The ministry also announced the death of a 14-year-old and 19-year-old in Nablus and Qalqilya.

Another 14-year-old Palestinian was also killed by Israeli gunfire in the city center of Al-Bireh.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid a massive Israeli bombardment campaign on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army, on the other hand, confirmed Thursday that a military commander was killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll of its soldiers in the strip where it recently ramped up air and ground attacks to 18.