Over 16,300 children killed in ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, authorities say

At least 16,314 Palestinian children were killed in Israel's devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since last Oct. 7, local authorities said on Thursday.

The victims included 35 children who starved to death due to Israel's crippling blockade on the enclave, Gaza's Government Media Office said in a statement, marking 300 days of Israeli attacks on the enclave.

"Some 10,980 women, 885 medics, 165 journalists and 79 civil defense personnel were also killed on the Israeli onslaught," it added.

The media office said seven mass graves were discovered in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, from which 520 bodies were recovered.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Nearly 39,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.