The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced an increase in the number of martyrs since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Strip to 17,487 martyrs and over 46,000 injuries.

The spokesperson for the ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, stated Friday that 313 martyrs and 558 injuries were admitted to hospitals in the past few hours, with a significant number of victims still under the rubble and on the roads.

He added that 70 percent of the victims of the Israeli Occupation's aggression on Gaza were children and women.

He pointed out that the Israeli Occupation is committing massacres and genocide against entire families in schools and residential neighborhoods.

He affirmed that the Israeli Occupation prevents ambulances from reaching the wounded and martyrs for evacuation from areas where IOF soldiers are located, leaving the wounded bleeding to death.

Qudra mentioned that 618 people (407 wounded and 211 patients) left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, and less than one percent of the wounded were able to leave through the Rafah border crossing.

He also noted that the IOF continues to arrest 36 healthcare professionals from Gaza, including the Director-General of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, under harsh and inhumane conditions.

Qudra stated that the IOF is committing acts of genocide in schools and clearing residential areas in northern Gaza, rendering its hospitals out of service.

He described the health situation in the southern Gaza Strip as 'extremely catastrophic,' with hospitals losing their capacity in departments, intensive care units, and facing an occupancy rate of 262 percent.

Qudra urged medical teams in northern Gaza to head to the Shifa Hospital and other hospitals so they can reach to save the wounded and other patients.