70% of Gaza victims are children, women, the elderly
Of the more than 3,000 killed and 12,000 injured in Gaza, 70% are children, women and the elderly, said Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza.
He said the Ministry of Health has received about 1,300 reports of missing people under the rubble, including 600 children. He said the ministry believes there are some survivors in the rubble.
Tuesday marked the largest single-day death toll in Gaza's history, he said, attributed to the explosion at the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital that killed at least 471. The blast injured another 314 people, including 28 patients who are in critical condition, he said.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for the hospital explosion with the Israeli military claiming it was a result of a "failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization," while Hamas has said it was the result of an Israeli airstrike. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the Pentagon independently concluded the blast was likely caused by an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that fell short of its target.
Hospital strike kills hundreds in Gaza