Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks since Oct. 7 surges to 36,242

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The death toll from relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza since last October has reached 36,242, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Thursday.

At least 81,777 people have also been injured in the onslaught, a ministry statement said.

Israeli forces killed 53 people, injured 357 others in five "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.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Palestinian enclave since Oct. 7, 2023 following a Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.