The death toll in the Gaza Strip has surged to 30,960, with 82 lives lost and 122 others wounded in the last 24 hours alone, according to a press statement from the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Saturday.
Amid ongoing Israeli attacks, dozens of Palestinians, the majority being children and women, fell victim to a series of airstrikes that targeted various areas across the Gaza Strip since Friday night, as reported by Palestine’s official news agency, WAFA.
The statement highlighted the dire situation as some victims remained trapped under the rubble, hampered by heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews.
Notably, at least 23 people lost their lives in intense airstrikes focused on residences in the southern Gaza Strip cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.
The Israeli offensive, a response to a Hamas incursion through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, has escalated tensions.
The earlier incident resulted in approximately 1,200 casualties and over 200 hostages taken by Hamas.
The current situation underscores the gravity of the conflict and the immense humanitarian toll it has exacted.
