By Hedaya al-Saeidi

GAZA CITY, Palestine

A total of 123 Palestinians have been martyred and 13,000 others injured by Israeli army fire since the start of anti-occupation protests in the Gaza Strip late March, according to the Health Ministry.

“The martyrs include 13 children, two medics and two journalists,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told a press conference in Gaza City on Sunday.

He said some 350 people were seriously injured during the protests.

“The injuries include 2,200 children and 140 women,” he said, adding that the numbers of the injured were beyond the capacity of Gaza hospitals to deal with.

For his part, Abdullatif al-Haj, the head of Gaza hospitals, said there is a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies in the Palestinian territory.

“The incoming medical supplies don’t meet the growing demand,” he said.