GAZA -- The death toll of Palestinians has risen to 21,978 after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.

Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra said in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 156 Palestinians and wounded 246 others in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.

The new causalities bring the number of Palestinian deaths to 21,978 and injuries to 56,697 since Oct 7, according to al-Qedra.

He said that Israeli attacks had killed 326 medical workers and forced 30 of the 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip out of service.

Al-Qedra called on international organizations to protect the healthcare system and its personnel in the Gaza Strip and said his ministry was in talks with UN agencies on the restart of health centers in different regions of the Palestinian enclave.

He also stressed the need to send medical teams and field hospitals to the Strip to meet the enormous needs for health care.

He criticized the mechanism in place for the injured Palestinians to receive treatment outside the Gaza Strip, pointing out that only 645 wounded people have been able to do so thus far, accounting for 1 percent of the total population in need of medical attention.