Gaza death toll nears 39,800 as Israel kills 40 more Palestinians

By Ikram Kouachi

The Israeli army has killed 40 more Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 39,790 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday.

A ministry statement added that some 91,702 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 40 people and injured 140 others in three ‘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, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.