As the Hamas-Israel war enters its second month, the death toll in Gaza has now passed 10,000, according to local authorities.
Figures released Monday by the Hamas-run Health Ministry put the total death toll in the besieged enclave at 10,022, including 4,104 children. The new figures come as Reuters reported “one of the most intense” periods of bombardment since the war began on Sunday night.
Israel, which says its military forces have divided the coastal strip in half and encircled Gaza City, is facing increased criticism over civilian casualties and growing international calls for a cease-fire.
Tel Aviv carried overnight strikes on Sunday and Monday on the enclave, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, amid growing calls for a ceasefire.
“More than 200 martyrs were reported in the overnight massacres,” the ministry said in a statement, adding the death toll only covered Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Many witnesses and journalists described Israel’s bombardment as the “heaviest experienced so far” on social media amid a communications blackout.
“This strike is like an earthquake,” Gaza City resident Alaa Abu Hasera said, in a devastated area where entire blocks were reduced to rubble.
Israel began pounding Gaza with what it called “significant” strikes on Monday ignoring ceasefire calls by UN aid agencies, as the humanitarian situation worsens significantly.
Hamas armed wing fires rockets from Lebanon into Israel
Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said it fired 16 rockets from Lebanon towards northern Israel, saying they targeted areas south of the Israeli coastal city of Haifa.
The Brigades said the strikes came “in response to the occupation’s (Israel’s) massacres and its aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip”.
Indonesia group denies Israeli claims that hospital is used by Hamas
The operator of the Indonesia hospital in Gaza on Monday denied an accusation by the Israeli military that its facility has been used by Hamas to launch an attack.
The comments were in response to the Israeli military’s claims that Hamas uses hospitals, including Gaza’s main hospital al-Shifa, the Qatari-funded Sheikh Hamad Hospital and a hospital built by groups from Indonesia, as cover to shield its underground operations.
“We built this hospital to help others, according to the needs of the Gazans,” said Sarbini Abdul Murad, the chairman of MER-C, a voluntary group operating the Indonesia hospital.
“Israel’s accusation is a precondition so that they can attack the Indonesian hospital in Gaza,” he told a press conference in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
