Gaza death toll hits 31,819 after Israel kills 93 more in 24 hours
AT LEAST 31,819 Palestinians have now been confirmed killed in Israel’s monthslong brutal war on Gaza, the Health Ministry in the enclave said yesterday.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry made the statement as Israel continues to wage its deadly onslaught on Gaza for the 165th day.
The ongoing attacks have also injured 73,934 Palestinians, it added.
Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli army committed nine massacres across the Gaza Strip, killing 93 people and injuring 142 others, the statement noted.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” it added.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in the early hours of yesterday in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah and central parts of the Gaza Strip, Gaza health officials said.
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, where over 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter, 14 people were killed and dozens others wounded in strikes that hit several houses and apartments, Gaza medical officials said.
Six more people died in another air strike on a house at the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, they added.
In Deir al-Balah, a town in central Gaza about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) south of the Gaza City, the sounds of explosions mixed with thunder, and rain added to the miseries of displaced families in tent camps.
“We are no longer able to distinguish between the sounds of thunder and bombings,” Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a father of five in Deir al-Balah, said via a chat application.
“We used to await the rain and pray to God if it was late. Today we pray it doesn’t rain. The displaced people have enough miseries,” he added.
The conflict, now in its sixth month, was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that caused nearly 1,160 deaths and the hostage-taking of 253 people, according to Israeli tallies.
Negotiations for a cease-fire in the war were due to resume Monday with an Israeli delegation heading to Qatar.
“We are looking forward to the good news from Qatar. Will it happen this time? Will they seal a deal? Over 2 million people in Gaza are praying they do,” said AbdelRaouf.