Death Toll From Israel's Gaza Onslaught Reaches 771

The Palestinian death toll from Israel's devastating military offensive against the Gaza Strip rose to 771 on Thursday, a Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman has said.



"At least 771 people have been killed and around 5000 injured in ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency.



He said the fatalities had included 190 children, 95 women and 47 elderly people.



Earlier in the day, more than 15 Palestinian civilians were killed when the Israeli army shelled a school run by the U.N.'s Palestinian refugees agency (UNRWA) in the northern Gaza Strip, al-Qodra said.



Dozens of other fatalities were reported in the town of Khuza'a in the southern city of Khan Younis, which has remained under devastating Israeli bombardment since Wednesday.



Israel has stepped up its onslaught on eastern Khan Younis since Wednesday, leaving an unknown number of dead and injured under the rubble, according to medics at the scene.



Since July 7, Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip – from air, land and sea – with the ostensible aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.



Last week, Israel expanded its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled coastal enclave.



According to official Israeli figures, 32 Israelis – including 30 soldiers and two civilians – have been killed since hostilities began.



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



In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed – the vast majority of them civilians – during Israel's three-week-long "Operation Cast Lead."



By Ola Attalah



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Gazze