Gaza death toll tops 43,000 as Israeli attacks kill 96 more Palestinians

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Israeli attacks killed at least 96 more Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, pushing up the overall death toll since last year to 43,020, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Monday.

A ministry statement added that some 101,110 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

“The Israeli occupation has committed five massacres of families in the last 48 hours, resulting in 96 deaths and 277 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.