With 81 Palestinian killings in 24 hours, number of people killed in Gaza approaches grim figure of 36,000

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) – With 81 Palestinian deaths reported in the last 24 hours in the latest Israeli forces bombardments on the besieged Gaza Strip, the total number of people killed in the enclave since last October has approached the grim mark of 36,000.

At least 35,984 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza since last Oct. 7, 2023, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement said 80,643 people have been injured as a result of the ongoing Israeli military offensive.

“Israeli attacks killed 81 people and injured 223 others in the last 24 hours,” it said, adding, “Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.”

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.