Gaza death toll nears 31,300

The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since 7 October has soared to 31,272, the Health Ministry said today.

A ministry statement added that 73,024 people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“At least 88 people were killed and 135 others injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

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

According to the ministry, around 72 per cent of the Palestinian victims were women and children.

The Israeli war has forced 85 per cent of Gaza’s population to become internally displaced refugees amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 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.

Read: Israel violence against Palestinian children increased after 7 October, UN told