86 more killed; toll rises to 30,717
Gaza City, Palestine - The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023 jumped to 30,717, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Wednesday.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry made the statement as the Israeli deadly onslaught on Gaza enters its 152nd day.
The ongoing onslaughts have also injured 72,156 Palestinians, it added.
The statement noted that in the past 24 hours, the Israeli army committed nine massacres across the Gaza Strip, killing 86 people and injuring 113 others.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” it added.
The Gaza-based ministry noted that the Israeli army has so far killed 348 medical staff, and arrested 269 others, including directors of hospitals in the Northern Governorate of the Gaza Strip and in Khan Younis in the south.
Confrontation in West Bank
Palestinians on Wednesday clashed with Israeli settlers who raided Joseph’s tomb in the northern occupied West Bank.
Local sources told Anadolu that Israeli settlers were escorted by the Israeli forces to protect them during their raid on the tomb site in eastern Nablus city. The settlers later performed Jewish rituals and prayers at the tomb, the sources added.
The settlers’ raid on the tomb site triggered clashes with Palestinians who tried to close the roads leading to it by burning tires. No injuries have so far been reported.
This is the first time settlers have raided Joseph’s tomb since tensions flared on October 7. Previously, they would conduct a raid every week.
Joseph’s tomb, revered by both Muslims and Jews, has long served as a flashpoint for clashes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.