The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Monday that the death toll in the enclave has risen to 70,937 since the start of the genocidal war launched by the Israeli occupation on 7 October 2023, the majority of whom are children and women. The number of injured has climbed to 171,192.
The ministry stated that over the past 48 hours, 12 deaths were recorded, including four newly killed victims, while the bodies of eight others were recovered from under the rubble, in addition to seven new injuries.
It added that since the ceasefire agreement of 11 October last year, a total of 405 people have been killed and 1,115 injured, with 649 bodies retrieved during the same period.
The Gaza Health Ministry noted that rescue operations and the work of medical teams remain ongoing, amid severe difficulties in reaching victims trapped beneath the debris.
This aggression constitutes a continuation of grave violations of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits the direct targeting of civilians and civilian property. Any attack that claims the lives of children and women is considered a war crime under international law.
The destruction of vital infrastructure and the obstruction of access to ambulances and medical care also amount to flagrant violations of the right to life and to health and humanitarian protection.
The staggering numbers of those killed and wounded underscore the devastating impact of the military operations on civilians and highlight the scale of the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip, where residents live under constant threat to their lives and fundamental rights. The continuation of the aggression poses a major obstacle to humanitarian efforts aimed at assisting civilians and providing urgent medical services.
This escalation points to the systematic targeting of civilians and civil society in Gaza, in blatant violation of the occupation’s obligations under international law, and underscores the urgent need to ensure effective protection for the civilian population and to guarantee accountability for those responsible for these violations.
