Gaza Health Ministry refutes U.S. claims regarding casualties in Israeli raids

GAZA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Hamas-run Health Ministry on Thursday refuted the U.S. skepticism regarding the number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza over the Israeli attacks.

In a press conference, Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the ministry, said "the Israeli occupation killed at least 7,028 Palestinians, including 2,913 children, 1,709 women and 397 elderly people."

During the conference, al-Qedra read out a lengthy report consisting of 212 pages, including the names and numbers of those killed in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the unprecedented Israeli attack on Hamas and the armed Palestinian factions.

Al-Qadr said that the report does not include the names of the dead who are still under the rubble or those who were buried before arriving at hospitals.

"We decided to announce the details and names of more than 7,000 martyrs so that the whole world knows the truth about the war that the occupation is committing against our people in Gaza," he added.

"The world must realize that behind every number is the story of a person whose name and identity are known. Our people are not nobodies who can be ignored," he stressed.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said that he "does not trust the validity of the death toll announced by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)."

"The U.S. administration has been devoid of all human standards, morals, and basic human rights values, to speak in the mouth of the criminal occupier and shamelessly question the validity of the announced numbers," he noted.

He called on the international medical organization to visit Gaza and check the situation in the health sector, saying "the doors of the Ministry of Health are open for all institutions to have access to the health work system."

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli territory, to which Israel responded with massive airstrikes, limited ground operations and punitive measures, including a siege on the enclave with supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and other necessities being cut off.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, as it entered the 20th day, has killed around 7,028 Palestinians in Gaza and at least 1,400 people in Israel, according to official figures from both sides.