RAMALLAH, Palestine

More than 990 Palestinian medics have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, Palestinian Health Minister Majid Abu Ramadan said Saturday.

Abu Ramadan said in a statement that more than 300 health care workers have been arrested, and hospitals destroyed or rendered inoperable in strikes.

He said the Israeli bombardment has forced 130 ambulances out of service.

Five Health Ministry personnel were killed early Saturday in an attack on the agency’s storage facilities in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Abu Ramadan described the bombing of health care personnel and facilities as part of “a broader pattern of violence by the occupation.”

He urged the international community and health organizations “to exert pressure on the occupation authorities to immediately stop the aggression, open border crossings for medical supplies, and allow critically ill patients and wounded individuals to seek treatment.”

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,400 victims, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 95,700 injured, according to local health authorities

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala