Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks nears 31,300

GAZA CITY, Palestine

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

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% of the Palestinian victims were women and children.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% 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. 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.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul