muslims

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 6,000 have been injured in a series of air raids on the Gaza Strip.

The strikes, the most severe to hit the region since 1967, began at around 11.30 am on December 27 2008 and casualties look set to rise due to a lack of medical capacity on the ground after recent prolonged border closures.

Dozens are still being pulled from the rubble and significant civilian casualties have been reported.

Targets across Gaza were hit, including Gaza City – where most have been reported dead – and the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah.

The raids came just days after a truce with Hamas came to an end. World leaders called for an immediate ceasefire but on January 3 2009 an Israeli ground offensive was launched.

Gaza’s depleted hospitals are struggling to cope with the increasing numbers of casualties. The main Al Shifa Hospital is functioning via a back-up generator and many medical staff are working 24-hour shifts.

The majority of citizens are without water, electricity or gas. Food is running out and around 80,000 are estimated to have been left homeless.