GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA): At least 190 people have been killed and 340 others injured in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, bringing the total Palestinian death toll from Israel’s deadly assault on the besieged enclave since Oct. 7 to 25,295, the Ministry of Health in the territory said Monday.

A ministry statement said Palestinians killed included 10,400 children, 7,100 women and 63,000 others have been injured in the offensive during the same period. 7,000 Palestinians are still missing.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Some 70,000 houses have been completely destroyed in Israeli attacks, and 290,000 houses were made uninhabitable.

On Israeli attacks on the health care sector, the statement said 337 health care workers and 45 civilian defense officials have so far been killed.

Since Oct. 7, a total of 119 journalists have lost their lives in Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Attacks threw health care in crisis, endangering lives

Israeli forces detained 99 healthcare workers and 10 journalists, and 2 million people were displaced in the Gaza Strip.

Pointing to the inhumane conditions in crowded shelters where Palestinian displaced seek refuge, the statement said 400,000 cases of infectious diseases and more than 8,000 cases of Hepatitis A have been detected as a result of Israel’s forced displacement.

Some 60,000 pregnant women in Gaza face critical risks due to the inability to provide health care, while 350,000 individuals with chronic illnesses are facing critical risks due to the lack of medication.

The Israeli army destroyed 140 government facilities as well as 99 schools and universities, while partially damaging 295 schools and universities.

Outside Gaza, there are 11,000 injured people who need treatment, and 10,000 cancer patients are facing the risk of death due to inadequate health care.

The statement said the Israeli army damaged 253 mosques and also caused the destruction of three churches.

Israel targeted 150 health care institutions in Gaza, rendered 53 health centers and 30 hospitals inoperative, and made 122 ambulances unusable.

Israel also targeted Palestine’s cultural heritage, destroying 200 historical and cultural assets in Gaza.

The statement further decried how the Israeli army has launched more than 65,000 tons of explosives at Gaza since Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said Tuesday that at least 21 troops were killed and several others injured in a single ambush in the central Gaza Strip.

In a statement, army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the incident took place near the Kissufim border community as Hamas attacked the soldiers attempting to destroy military infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance group.

He said the Hamas fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli tank, while, simultaneously, an explosion caused two two-story buildings to collapse.

“The buildings collapsed due to this explosion, while most of the forces were inside and near them,” Hagari added.

He said an investigation had been launched into the incident as the explosion was the result of mines planted by Israeli soldiers, though the cause of their detonation is yet to be confirmed.

The deaths bring the death toll of Israeli soldiers in Gaza since a ground assault began on Oct. 27 to 219, while the army’s overall death toll since the launch of the Israeli offensive against Gaza on Oct. 7 has risen to 556.

According Israeli authorities, 1,139 Israelis were killed in southern Israel by Hamas on October 7.  136 Israelis are held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

[Photo: Injured Palestinians, incl children treated at Nasser Hospital following Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on 22 1 24.
Photojournalist:  Belal Khaled/ AA]