Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks nears 32,500

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip has reached 32,490 since last October, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

At least 74,889 other Palestinians have been injured in the onslaught, the ministry added in a statement.

“Israeli attacks killed 76 people and injured 102 others in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

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

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war, now in its 173rd day, 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.

On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

While Hamas welcomed the resolution, Israel rejected the cease-fire call and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.

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