Gaza's Death Toll Reaches 871

Two Palestinians were killed early on Saturday and 15 others injured by an Israeli attack on a home in central Gaza City, a Palestinian Health Ministry official said.



"The new fatalities raise Gaza's death toll from Israel's war to 871 since the beginning of this war on July 7," Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency.



He added that the attack also raises the number of Gaza's injured victims to 5745.



Since July 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with fierce aerial bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire.



Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rocket at Israeli cities in response to relentless Israeli bombardments.



According to official Israeli figures, 35 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed since the hostilities began.



Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.



In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed in Israel's three-week-long operation "Cast Lead."



By Mustafa Haboosh



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