Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 29,000: Ministry

Gaza, Feb 19 (IANS) The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,985, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.In a press statement sent to Xinhua news agency, the Ministry said on Sunday that 68,883 Palestinians have been wounded in the coastal enclave since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.The Israeli army killed 127 Palestinians and wounded 205 others during the last 24 hours, the Ministry added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.It noted that some victims remain under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defence and ambulance crews.In addition, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip witnessed several direct attacks from Israeli tanks.The association said in a press statement that Israeli forces targetted the fourth floor, causing major material damage and setting the eastern side of the hospital on the blaze, which led to a patient being trapped with his companions, and the medical teams were able to evacuate them at very high risk.The statement indicated that gunfire targetted the hospital's fuel tanks, and the crews were not able to determine the extent of the damage due to the high risk.Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.--IANSint/khz

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