Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein said Saturday that the death toll since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on Gaza on December 27, 2008 has reached 1,203 Palestinians.

In a statement, Hassanein noted that more than 5,300 Palestinians were also wounded during the past 22 days of Israeli military offensive.

Hassanein added that among the dead, there are 410 children under age 18, 108 women and 113 men over 50-year-old.

The Israeli army continued its ground operations and airstrikes on Saturday all across the Gaza Strip as its air and ground military offensive goes on for the 22th successive day.

Medical sources said that three Palestinians were killed in a fresh airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah at noon on Saturday, adding that 11 people were killed this morning.

Earlier this morning, at least four Palestinians were killed when Israeli tanks shelled a UN-run school in Beit Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip and three people were killed in northern Gaza City in an airstrike.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2009)