Gaza city: At least 66,148 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry reported on Wednesday. A ministry statement indicated that 51 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, with 180 people injured, raising the total number of injuries to 168,716 in the Israeli offensive.
According to Anadolu Agency, many victims remain trapped under rubble and on roads, with rescuers unable to reach them. The statement also detailed that four Palestinians were killed and 57 others injured by Israeli army fire while attempting to obtain humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 2,580, with over 18,930 others wounded since May 27.
The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18, resulting in 13,280 deaths and 56,675 injuries, breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement established in January. The ministry reported that two individuals, including a child, died of starvation in the last 24 hours, increasing the famine-related death toll since October 2023 to 455 people, with 151 children among them.
According to the ministry, 177 people, including 36 children, have died of starvation since the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in Gaza this August. The IPC announced famine in Gaza City on August 22, warning of its spread to central and southern Gaza by the end of September.
Israel has maintained the closure of all border crossings with Gaza since March 2, hindering humanitarian aid and driving the enclave into famine despite relief trucks accumulating at its borders. Israel occasionally permits limited aid to enter, but these shipments are insufficient to meet basic needs and have not mitigated the famine. Most aid trucks have been looted by gangs, which the Gaza administration accuses Israel of protecting.
The continuous Israeli bombardment of Gaza since October 2023 has made the area uninhabitable, leading to starvation and the proliferation of diseases.