Death toll from Hamas attack tops 800 in Israel; 493 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip
Palestinian people who fled their homes due to Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling take refuge at a school in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Oct 9, 2023. At least 493 Palestinians have been killed and 2,751 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday.At least 800 people have been killed in the mass assault launched by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported on Monday. [Photo/Xinhua]
GAZA/JERUSALEM/CAIRO/WINDHOEK -- The following are the latest developments related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
At least 800 people have been killed in the mass assault launched by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported on Monday, the third day of fighting.
Citing government officials, Kan TV news reported that the number of fatalities in Saturday's attack reached 800. In Hamas' combined attack, Hamas militants broke through the security fence and stormed nearby communities while barrages of thousands of rockets hit Southern and Central Israel.
The number of injuries received by hospitals climbed to 2,506, including 23 in critical condition, the Israeli Health Ministry updated. According to militant groups in Gaza, about 130 hostages were held in the Palestinian enclave.
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At least 493 Palestinians have been killed and 2,751 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday.
The dead include 91 children and 61 women, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes hitting their residential houses in various governorates in Gaza, the ministry said in a statement sent to Xinhua.
Among the injuries, 244 were children and 151 were women, the ministry said.
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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered "a complete siege" on the Gaza Strip on Monday in response to the deadly attack on Israel by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, the ruler of the Strip.
"We are putting a complete siege on Gaza," Gallant said in a video statement when assessing the situation with top Israeli military officials. "There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel ... it's all closed," Gallant warned.
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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday discussed the recent developments in Palestine amid the current rising tensions in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
In a phone call, the two leaders also discussed efforts to stop the ongoing military escalation.
"They agreed on intensifying consultations and pushing forward diplomatic efforts to alleviate violence and escalation to protect civilians and prevent bloodshed, and to initiate a path for achieving comprehensive and just peace to guarantee regional stability and security," the statement added.
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Namibia on Monday expressed grave concern over the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Penda Naanda, executive director of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, called on Israel to immediately cease its attacks and refrain from engaging in provocative acts against the Palestinian people.
