As the death toll of Palestinian civilians rises, those trapped in Gaza see little hope.

1,200 people have been killed and more than 2,700 have been injured since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Force. It marks the deadliest attack on the nation in 50 years.

In Gaza, over 1,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed in Israel’s retaliation and 5,000 have been injured, the health ministries in Gaza and the West Bank said Wednesday.

“It’s all collateral damage. We are all civilians, normal doctors, nurses, teachers, students. We’re not Hamas,” Mohamed Mughisib, a Palestinian doctor and a deputy coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, told NBCin a phone call from Gaza. “It’s the children who are dying."

Israel-Hamas War

Over 260,000 people in Gaza have been displaced, the United Nations said Wednesday. Israel announced a complete siege of the territory, cutting off Palestinian civilians' access to water, food, fuel, and electricity. Only 5 percent of residents had access to clean drinking water in their homes even before the current war, NBC reports.

Hamas took control of Gaza during elections in 2006. The territory has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007, and referred to by many as an "open-air concentration camp."

Hamas considers itself a freedom-fighting movement against occupation, but is widely considered a terrorist organization by countries worldwide. Palestinians hold conflicting views on the group, with many who do not support its use of violence.

U.S. President Joe Biden himself said in an address to the nation Tuesday that Hamas "does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination."

World leaders have criticized Israel's response to the attacks for their impact on civilians. UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement Tuesday that Israel's retaliatory bombings and "seizes" targeting Palestinian residential buildings and schools are illegal under international law, which Turk said amount to "collective punishment" — a war crime.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders also spoke out against Israel's siege of Gaza, describing the attacks on civilians and their resources as a “serious violation of international law," noting that “the targeting of civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it."

Mughisib said that the retaliation from Israel is the worst they’ve experienced.

“Every 30 minutes you wake up from a severe strike and shaking of the building and shrapnel flying,” he continued. “You see your neighbor has been injured, someone that you know has been killed. Every minute there is some sad news.”