Health minister says nearly 700 civilians killed in 12-day war
‘Israeli strikes targeted seven hospitals, 11 ambulances’
Iran’s Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi said on Wednesday that nearly 700 civilians were killed during recent Isreal’s unprovoked aggression against the country.
Zafarghandi added that the Israeli regime also directly targeted seven hospitals and eleven ambulances during its aggression, which has claimed the lives of 1,100 people in Iran.
The Iranian minister said that 18 medical personnel, including six doctors, lost their lives in the regime’s strikes.
Sajad Rezaei, Iran’s deputy health minister, put the number of civilians wounded in the attacks at 5,750, saying that around 170 people are still hospitalized.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a statement on Wednesday appreciated efforts by the health sector’s personnel, especially nurses, to help the wounded people in the Israeli strikes.
Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Pirhossein Kolivand also said the Israeli strikes hit targets and hospitals in the vicinity of the Red Crescent building, which damaged around 1,500 hospital beds.
Five IRCS members were also killed in Israel’s attacks. Additionally, one helicopter and several ambulances belonging to the IRCS were destroyed.
Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said on Tuesday that death toll from the Israel’s aggression against Iran rose to 1,100.
The Health Ministry had earlier announced the death of 935 people in the regime’s attacks which began on June 13.
Kolivand said that the death toll from the Israeli aggression includes 126 women and 41 children, which claimed the lives of civilians, nuclear scientists and the country’s top military commanders.
The US also joined the aggression by targeting the three Iranian nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
A cease-fire proposed by the US put an end to the conflict on June 24 after Iran launched barrages of missiles at Israel’s targets in the occupied territories and at the largest US military base in the Middle East in Qatar.