A child stands next to the bodies of family members after they were killed during Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the Gaza Strip   (Photo by AFP)

Gaza City, April 29 (RHC)-- The Gaza media office says the Israeli regime deliberately kills civilians in Gaza as part of a systematic policy of genocide.  In a statement released on Monday, the office said that over 65% of Palestinians killed by Israeli regime are children, women, and the elderly.

The regime “has killed more than 18,000 children and more than 12,400 Palestinian women. It has wiped out more than 2,180 Palestinian families, where the father, mother, and all family members were killed,” it added.

The statement also highlighted the targeting of medical staff, with over 1,400 doctors and healthcare workers killed—a devastating loss that has crippled the healthcare infrastructure.

According to the statement, over 113 Civil Defense personnel have lost their lives while performing humanitarian work.  Additionally, 212 journalists have been killed in what appear to be systematic efforts to suppress truth-telling and hide violations.  The violence has also claimed the lives of more than 750 humanitarian aid workers involved in relief distribution and security.

The Israeli regime’s aggression has also resulted in the killings of over 13,000 students and more than 800 teachers and educational staff members, along with over 150 scholars, academics, university professors, and researchers, it said, adding that thousands of civil sector and essential service workers in Gaza have also been killed.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 52,243 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and another 117,600 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since it began 18 months ago.

[ SOURCE:  AFP and NEWS AGENCIES ]