GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and injured 41 in attacks on Gaza in January, a ministry official said Saturday.
Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza's Ministry of Health, said in a statement that "the Israeli occupation intensified airstrikes against unarmed civilians, particularly in the eastern Gaza Strip" in January.
The statement pointed out that a large number of the injured were children.
The health sector in the Strip has been suffering a severe shortage in medicines and medical equipment, al-Qidra added.
Over the past month, tensions have risen in and around Gaza after more than a year of relative calm following Israel's war on the coastal territory in November 2012 which killed over 170 people, mainly civilians, and injured thousands.
Israeli army figures show nine rockets have struck Israeli territory since Jan. 1, and another five were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
None of the rockets caused injuries.
Israeli airstrikes this year on targets in Gaza have injured dozens of people, mainly civilians.