As the Israel-Hamas conflict continued for a 17th consecutive day on Monday, the death toll on the two sides has increased to more than 6,000, with tens of thousands others injured or forced to displace from their homes as a result of the raging violence.
In its latest update, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said that as intense Israeli airstrikes continued to bombard the besieged enclave throughout the night, an additional 266 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours, which increased the cumulative fatality toll to 4,651.
Of the total victims, there were at least 1,873 children and 1,023 women, the Ministry said.
Currently, more than 1,000 people Palestinians have been reported missing or are presumed to be trapped or dead under the rubble, while the number of injured persons has shot up to 14,245, it added.
The reported fatality toll in Gaza since the conflict began on October 7 is more than double the total number of death (2,251) during the 50-day escalation of hostilities in 2014, according to UN figures.