Gaza death toll tops 39,600 amid relentless Israeli attacks

GAZA CITY, Palestine

At least 40 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll to 39,623 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the battered enclave said on Monday.

A ministry statement added that some 91,469 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 40 people and injured 71 others in two ‘massacres’ against families 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.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio