Palestinian death toll passes 33,000 as Israel continues to pound Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

At least 33,037 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Thursday.

A ministry statement said some 75,668 Palestinians have also been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli attacks killed at least 62 people and injured 91 others in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Israel has pounded the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by resistance group Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war, now in its 181st day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala