Khaled Radhi, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, on Saturday announced that the Israeli invasion and the relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip have resulted in 92 Palestinians killed and 326 others wounded, many in critical condition, over the past ten days, as well as the destruction of a number of government buildings and all the power plants in Gaza.
Radhi, in his report, added that around 27 Palestinian children were among the fatalities, while 117 others were injured by Israeli missiles and shells’ shrapnel.
Radhi’s statement highlighted that the majority of the Palestinian victims arrived to the hospitals with severed limbs and charred bodies, including five children who were brought to the hospital Friday, all without their heads. The type and severity of injuries has made it difficult to identify many of the victims, medical sources reported.
Four of the fatalities were physically or mentally disabled persons, and Health Minister Radhi pointed out the specific targeting of families: 10 Palestinian families have been completely wiped out, the latest of whom was Abu Salmeyya family where father, mother, and their seven children were buried under the rubbles of their destroyed home.
For his part, Palestinian Authority (PA) spokesman Dr. Ghazi Hamad accused the Israeli occupation government of implementing a systematic plan of strangling the Palestinian political system and the Palestinian government through targeting PA ministries and government institutions.
"It is clear that the Israeli occupation government is implementing a pre-planned scheme of hitting the PA ministries and government institutions", adding that, "further Israeli bombarding of more PA ministries is expected".
The buildings housing the PA ministries of interior, planning, foreign affairs, and the ministry of national economy, in addition to the PA’s council of ministers were destroyed in Israeli warplanes’ missile attacks since the start of the Israeli invasion of the Strip over three weeks ago.
He added that efforts in resolving the captured soldier issue were still continuing, as a number of parties were involved in the matter were interested in finding a satisfactory solution for the case. He accused Israel of aborting all efforts in this regard.
Dr. Mohammed Awad, secretary-general of the PA council of ministers denounced the Israeli targeting of the PA ministries as he inspected the devastated ministry.
"The Israeli occupation government is committing a big mistake if it thinks that by resorting to such atrocities it will be able to break the Palestinian people’s determination", Awad asserted.
For his part, Ala Al-Araj, the PA economy minister, emphasized that the PA government was still carrying out its mission in spite of all the destruction its ministries sustained.
"We shall remain steadfast and relentlessly attend to the needs of our people so that the Israeli occupation government will know that its entire military arsenal will not succeed in stopping the pulse in the Palestinian community", the minister underlined.
Statements from the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah faction, and the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, confirmed his statement, saying they would continue on the resistance path until the last inch of the occupied Palestinian lands is liberated.
