GAZA: The Israeli army killed at least 37 more Palestinians in attacks on the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 38,919 since October 7 last year, the territory’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry also reported that the ongoing Israeli offensive has resulted in 89,622 Palestinians being injured, with many still trapped under rubble and awaiting rescue.
“In the last 24 hours, Israeli forces conducted four ‘massacres’ targeting families, killing 37 people and injuring 54 others,” the ministry statement said.
International condemnation has mounted against Israel, which continues to defy a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The offensive, now in its ninth month, has left vast areas of Gaza devastated amid severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies exacerbated by the Israeli blockade.
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians sought refuge before being targeted by Israeli forces.
On Saturday, Israeli military strikes intensified across Gaza, resulting in at least 30 deaths, including prominent casualties such as local journalist Mohammad Abu Jasser, his wife, and two children, killed in an airstrike on their home in northern Gaza. The deaths of media personnel have now reached 161 since the conflict escalated.
In Rafah, Israeli tanks advanced deeper into the city’s western and northern sectors amid fierce attacks.
The Israeli military justified its actions by accusing Hamas of using civilian structures and populations for military purposes, a claim vehemently denied by the Palestinian group.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire led by Qatar and Egypt, with US support, have faltered due to continued disputes between the conflicting parties, each blaming the other for the stalemate.
Israel has vowed to neutralize Hamas. Israel claims 326 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza, while Hamas does not release casualty figures, disputing Israel’s reports as exaggerated attempts to portray a “fake victory.”
