GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Health Ministry in Gaza reported on Monday that numerous bodies are accumulating outside Al-Shifa Hospital amidst the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and the hospital's encirclement.

"The (Israeli) occupation forces are targeting the yards of the Al-Shifa Hospital where hundreds of bodies are piled up outside," Yusuf Abu al-Reesh, deputy health minister, told Anadolu.

He warned that the decaying bodies could lead to epidemics and catastrophic outcomes.

Abu al-Reesh highlighted the perilous conditions in the hospital, noting that patients are being compelled to leave, despite their injuries.

He noted that the hospital's administration has repeatedly requested assistance to evacuate patients and the injured from the facility.

He also called on the international community and relevant global organizations to supply the hospital with fuel to salvage what remains possible.

Until Sunday, the local authorities in Gaza said 22 hospitals, out of 34, went out of service as a result of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 38th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 children and women, and more than 28,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar