Over 1,000 children injured in Gaza since March: UNICEF

Over 1,000 children have been injured by Israeli forces in the besieged Gaza Strip during demonstrations since March 30, according to UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Wednesday.

The UN body pointed out that some injuries had been severe and potentially life-altering, including amputations.

"Recent violence has exacerbated the already weak health system in the Gaza Strip, which is crumbling because of the severe power cuts and shortages of fuel, medicine and equipment," UNICEF said in a statement.

"Medical facilities are buckling under the strain of additional casualties," he said.

On Wednesday, UNICEF and its partners delivered two truck-loads of urgent medical supplies to the Gaza Strip for an estimated 70,000 people.

The drugs and medical equipment include antibiotics, saline solutions and syringes for the treatment of injuries, it said.

On Monday, at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators were martyred - and hundreds more injured - by Israeli troops deployed along their side of the Gaza-Israel fence.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 100 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred by the Israeli army gunfire since the Gaza rallies began on March 30; at least seven minors and an 8-month-old baby are among those killed.

Monday's demonstration had coincided with Israel's 70th anniversary - an event Palestinians refer to as "The Catastrophe" - and the relocation of Washington's embassy to Jerusalem, which also took place Monday.

Last week, the Israeli government said the ongoing protests along the Gaza-Israel fence constituted a "state of war" in which international humanitarian law did not apply.