Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks surpasses 36,650

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Gaza’s death toll from Israel’s ongoing offensive has reached 36,654 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Thursday.

At least 83,309 people have also been injured in the onslaught, the ministry added in a statement.

“Israeli forces killed 68 people and injured 235 others in six ‘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.

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.