Gaza death toll nears 40,100 as Israel kills 69 more Palestinians

By Ikram Kouachi

The Israeli army killed 69 more Palestinians in attacks in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 40,074 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday.

A ministry statement added that some 92,537 other people have been injured in the ongoing deadly attacks.

“Israeli forces killed 69 people and injured 136 others in five ‘massacres’ against families in the last 48 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 war, 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.