Palestinian death toll in Israeli attacks on Gaza climbs to 28,775

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian death toll from Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has jumped to 28,775, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Friday.

The ministry in a statement said 68,552 others were also injured in the ongoing onslaught.

It added that in the past 24 hours Israeli forces committed 10 massacres across the territory, leaving 112 people killed and 157 wounded.

"Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them," the ministry said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The conflict has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Tel Aviv now plans a ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where 1.4 million people have taken refuge.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio