Death toll passes 17,000 in Gaza as Israel offensives continue
The number of Palestinians killed by Israel’s onslaught in the Gaza Strip continues to grow as 17,487 people have now been confirmed dead in the war that has wreaked havoc on the enclave.
The Health Ministry in the war-torn territory announced on Friday that over 46,480 have also been injured due to the military offensives by Israel.
Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a press conference that 350 were killed and 558 injured in the past several hours alone, while an unknown number of victims have been buried under the rubble.
He added that 70% of victims from the Israeli ground and air attacks were women and children, stressing that the Israeli army currently holds 36 detained medical staff, including Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director general of Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, who was arrested on Nov. 23.
Recall that the push for a ceasefire hit the rock after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on Friday that called for an immediate pause to end the raging weeks of bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.
The United Kingdom, another permanent council member with veto power, abstained.
Speaking on the outcome of the vote, the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Secretary-General’s determination to push for a humanitarian cease-fire and the UN’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza will continue.
The Israeli Defence Forces resumed its military operations in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 following the end of a weeklong humanitarian ceasefire with Hamas.
The death toll in the Hamas attack on Israel stood at 1,200, while 138 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures
