Israel kills 19 more Gazans as death toll nears 44,400

By Ikram Kouachi

At least 19 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 44,382, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday.

A ministry statement added that some 105,142 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 19 people and injured 72 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 launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.