Salama Maarouf, the head of the media office, held a press conference on Wednesday evening to update the public on the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

He offered condolences to journalist Wael al-Dahdouh, who was killed by an israeli airstrike earlier that day.

Maarouf said that the total number of martyrs reached 6,546, including 2,704 children, 1,584 women and girls, and 364 elderly people. He added that 1,600 people were still missing under the rubble, including 900 children.

He also said that 17,439 citizens were injured by the israeli attacks, which have destroyed or damaged more than 183,000 housing units. He said that half of the housing units in Gaza were uninhabitable due to the destruction.

Maarouf stated that the israeli warplanes targeted 77 government headquarters and dozens of public and service facilities, as well as water, electricity, and sewage networks. He said that 188 schools were damaged, 35 of them out of service.

He also pointed out that 35 mosques were completely destroyed and three churches were severely damaged by the Israeli bombings.

Maarouf called on the international community to intervene and stop the zionist aggression, which he described as a war crime and a genocide against the Palestinian people. (ILKHA)