UPDATE 2 - Death toll of Israeli attacks on Gaza hits 212, including 61 children

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, INJURIES; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Beyza Binnur Donmez and Nour Abu Eisha

ANKARA (AA) - The death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 212, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday.

The grim figure includes 61 children, 35 women and 16 elderly people, the ministry said in a statement, while 1,400 people have been injured during the offensive.

The Israeli military has staged airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since May 10, leaving behind a massive trail of destruction across the seaside territory.

Ten Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report