Gaza population at record 2 million

The two millionth person has been born in the besieged Gaza, with the birth of a baby boy named Waleed officially recognized as reaching the milestone in the densely populated Palestinian territory.

"There are now more than two million residents in the Gaza Strip after the baby Waleed Shaath was born last night in Rafah in southern Gaza," interior ministry spokesman Iyad Bezm told AFP on Wednesday.

The ministry said the population of the Gaza Strip was now 50.66 percent male and 49.34 percent female.

The 2,000,001st person, a girl named Lana Ayad, was born shortly afterwards.

The ministry said that during September, a total of 4,983 boys and girls were born in the Gaza Strip, adding that "during September, every day, 166 babies were born, that means 7 babies every hour and one baby every ten minutes."

The statement said that during September, 294 babies died right after birth, adding that "every day, 10 babies die in the Gaza Strip."