493 Palestinians killed, 2,751 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip

A man looks at destroyed buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Oct. 8, 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, while Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported the death toll in Israel has reached 700. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- 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.

Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group ruling the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, which included the launch of thousands of rockets and the infiltration by dozens of militants into the Israeli towns bordering Gaza.

In response, the Israeli military conducted hundreds of airstrikes targeting Hamas sites and headquarters in the coastal enclave, as well as residential homes, agricultural lands, government institutions, and police checkpoints.

Short videos on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from various areas in the Gaza Strip and large explosions were heard from time to time.

This conflict has so far killed more than 700 people in Israel so far.