Death toll in Gaza Strip due to Israeli attacks reaches over 4,300

A Palestinian mother hugs the dead body of her child at En-Neccar hospital after the Israeli airstrikes which continues on its 15th day in Rafah, Gaza on October 21, 2023. [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

The death toll in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israeli attacks has climbed to 4,385, Health Ministry officials in the besieged enclave said Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The ministry said that 1,756 children were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when 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 the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

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

Officials have said that more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed in the conflict.

Earlier today, a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

READ: What help is 20 truckloads of aid to Gaza?

Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.