Gaza death toll tops 42,700 with no letup in Israeli assault

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - At least 115 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, pushing up the overall death toll since last year to 42,718, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Tuesday.

Some 100,282 others have also been injured in the yearlong, ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza – crossing the 100,000 mark – according to a ministry statement.

“The Israeli occupation has committed seven massacres of families in the last 48 hours, resulting in 115 deaths and 487 injuries,” the ministry said.

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

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.