50 Gazans killed Saturday, death toll climbs to 1,650

At least 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, taking the overall death toll to 1,650, according to a Health Ministry spokesman. "At least 50 Palestinians were killed and 100 others injured in the ongoing Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip on Saturday," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency. In the latest Israeli strikes on Saturday, fourteen Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern city of Rafah. The latest fatalities bring to 1,650 the number of Palestinians killed in relentless Israeli attacks across the embattled territory since July 7. At least 8900 Palestinians have also been injured. For the past four weeks, Israel has been pounded the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire. Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks. According to Israeli figures, at least 63 Israeli soldiers have been killed in battles with Palestinian fighters in Gaza and three civilians by rocket fire. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip collapsed on Friday after Israel accused Hamas of abducting a soldier in Rafah. The Palestinian movement, however, has denied any role in abducting the Israeli soldier.