CORRECTS – Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks surpasses 29,400

CORRECTS TOLL IN 1ST PARA

By Mohammad Sio

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian death toll from Israel's deadly offensive against the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has soared to 29,410, the Health Ministry in the territory said on Thursday.

A ministry statement said at least 69,465 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“At least 97 people were killed and 132 others injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours,” the statement said.

“Many victims are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” the ministry said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli onslaught has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.