Gaza death toll nears 40,300 as 42 more Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Gaza’s health authorities reported at least 42 more deaths from Israeli attacks on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll since last Oct. 7 to 40,265.

A Health Ministry statement said that some 93,144 others have been injured in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 42 people and injured 163 others in four ‘massacres’ of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

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

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

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

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.