GAZA: The health ministry in Gaza said Thursday 22,438 people have been killed in the territory since the war between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7. In a statement, the health ministry said that 125 fatalities were recorded over the past 24 hours. It added that more than 57,614 people have been injured in the fighting between Hamas and Israel.
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said that during the last 90 days, around 22,438 Palestinians have been killed in brutal Israeli strike on the Strip. The ministry maintained that 125 Palestinians were killed and 318 injured mostly women and children in the past 24 hours.
Health Ministry Says Death Toll Hits 22,438
The development comes as United Nations high commissioner slammed Israeli ministers’ remarks on forcible transfer of the people of Palestine.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said he was “very disturbed” by remarks made by Israeli ministers on forcible transfer of the people of Palestine.
Very disturbed by high-level Israeli officials' statements on plans to transfer civilians from #Gaza to third countries. 85 percent of people in Gaza are already internally displaced. They have the right to return to their homes. Int'l law prohibits forcible transfer of protected… pic.twitter.com/LMFxa9ur9N
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) January 4, 2024
The high commissioner also pointed out that global law bans “the forcible transfer of protected people within or deportation from occupied territory”.
Meanwhile, the United Nation’s top court will hear submissions next week from South Africa and Israel following Pretoria opened a case regarding Israel’s “genocidal” acts in the Gaza Strip.
South Africa wants to International Court of Justice (ICJ) to immediately order Israel to suspend its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The World Court “will hold public hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague… in hearing instituted by South Africa against Israel,” on Thursday and Friday, the ICJ announced.
The South African plea, filed last Friday, linked to serious violations by Israel of its obligations as per the Genocide Convention, adding that “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks more engaging in genocidal actions against the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip.”
South Africa, amongst other immediate steps, is asking the ICJ to order that “Israel shall immediately end its military operations in Gaza” and that both sides “take all reasonable steps within their power to stop genocide.”
Israel launched a military campaign against people of Palestine in Gaza since October 7. Israel’s current Gaza offensive has killed over 22,300 people, mostly children and women, Gaza Health Ministry said.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
