• Famine death toll climbs to 251, including 108 children, amid Israel’s ongoing siege

ISTANBUL

The number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has risen to 61,897, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Saturday.

According to the ministry's daily update, 70 people were killed in the last 24 hours, with eight bodies recovered from the rubble. Another 385 people were injured, bringing the total number of injuries to 155,660 since Israel began its genocidal war in October 2023.

The ministry also reported 11 new deaths from starvation and malnutrition, including one child, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 251, with 108 of them being children.

Search and rescue efforts remain severely hampered, with many victims still under rubble or in the streets, as Israeli airstrikes continue and civil defense teams face extreme equipment shortages.

Since March 18, when Israel resumed its military assault after breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, the ministry said 10,362 Palestinians have been killed and 43,619 injured.

The Health Ministry also reported that Israeli forces continue to target Palestinians attempting to access humanitarian aid. In the past 24 hours, 26 people were killed and 175 injured in such incidents.

Since May 27, Israeli forces have killed 1,924 Palestinians and injured 14,288 others as they tried to reach desperately needed food and supplies.

Israel’s blockade, which has completely sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March, has plunged Gaza’s 2.4 million residents into a worsening humanitarian disaster marked by widespread famine, disease, and the collapse of basic infrastructure.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.