GAZA, Palestine

The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 rose to 7,028, the Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Thursday.

The ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra said during a press conference: "The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has reached 7,028, including 2,913 children, 1,709 women, and 397 elderly individuals. In addition, 18,484 citizens have been injured since Oct. 7.”

He said the Israeli forces committed 43 massacres in the past 24 hours, killing 481 people, the majority of whom were displaced to the south of the Gaza Strip, an area that Israel claims to be safe.

“The Israeli occupation intentionally committed 731 massacres against families. We have received 1,650 reports of missing individuals, including 940 children who are still under the rubble,” he continued.

The spokesperson said the Israeli forces deliberately targeted 57 healthcare facilities, rendering 12 hospitals and 32 primary care centers out of service, adding that 101 medics were killed in attacks.

He said Israel is destroying the healthcare system “by obstinately obstructing the entry of fuel and essential medical supplies.”

Al-Qedra warned of "an impending healthcare disaster as hospitals are transformed into shelters for tens of thousands of displaced people, all within unhealthy conditions that contribute to the spread of epidemics and infectious diseases."

The conflict in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul