Gaza death toll approaches 38,800 as Israel kills 81 more Palestinians

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army killed 81 more Palestinians in attacks in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 38,794 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement added that some 89,166 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 81 people and injured 198 others in two ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Palestinian health authorities estimate that more than 10,000 people are still missing under the rubble of destroyed homes across the Gaza Strip.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

Over nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.