Death Toll from Israeli Attacks on Gaza Reaches 1,643
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Gaza’s health ministry officials announced that more than 1,600 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed during the recent Israeli onslaught on the defenseless people of the besieged enclave, stirring international outrage and raising demands for a cease-fire.
On Saturday, the death toll from 26 days of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip hit 1,643 with more than 8,800 injured, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman stated.
He added that during the Israeli air strikes on the southern Gaza town of Rafah within early hours of Saturday, at least 38 Palestinians were killed and more than 60 others were reported injured.
As a 72-hour cease-fire went into effect at 8 am local time on Friday, Gaza's streets began to fill with Palestinian families. Laden with belongings, they streamed back to homes they fled during fierce fighting that destroyed or damaged thousands of dwellings.
But only few hours later, the truce was shattered by Israeli shelling near the town of Rafah, which led to the killing of at least 40 Palestinians.
International calls for an end to the bloodshed intensified after shelling on Wednesday that killed 15 people sheltering in a UN-run school in Gaza's Jabalya refugee camp. It was the second time that the Israeli military targeted UN-run schools in less than a week. The schools are seen as the only shelters for the Palestinians living in the blockaded territory.
