Attacks on Gaza continue as death toll hits 60,249

The death toll in Gaza continues to climb as Israeli airstrikes and ground operations intensify across the enclave. In the past 24 hours alone, at least 111 Palestinians were killed, including 91 civilians seeking humanitarian aid, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry reported that 820 others were wounded in the same period, bringing the […]

The death toll in Gaza continues to climb as Israeli airstrikes and ground operations intensify across the enclave.

In the past 24 hours alone, at least 111 Palestinians were killed, including 91 civilians seeking humanitarian aid, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry reported that 820 others were wounded in the same period, bringing the total number of casualties since October 7, 2023, to 60,249 killed and 147,089 injured.

Since Israel introduced a new aid distribution mechanism on May 27, at least 1,330 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access humanitarian assistance, with over 8,818 wounded.

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“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.

 

Hospitals on the brink

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza has issued a dire warning, describing its situation as “catastrophic by all standards.”

According to Palestine’s news agency Wafa, the hospital is overwhelmed by hundreds of wounded arriving amid ongoing attacks.

Emergency departments and inpatient wards have exceeded capacity, and operating rooms have halted due to a shortage of beds.

Patients are reportedly stranded post-surgery, with critical shortages of medicines and supplies compounding the crisis.

Hospital officials are calling for urgent intervention from international and humanitarian organisations to prevent further loss of life.

 

‘Over 18,500 children killed’

Gaza’s Health Ministry revealed that 18,592 children have been killed since the start of Israel’s offensive in October 2023. Many of the victims were infants, some dying within hours of birth due to airstrikes.

The ministry’s records show that nine babies were killed on the day of their birth, five on the first day, five on the second, and eight on the third. Additional figures include 88 children aged one month, 90 aged two months, and 78 aged three months.

Rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel have accused Israel of committing genocide, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of Gaza’s healthcare system.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Meanwhile, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Gaza on Friday to inspect food distribution sites.

“Tomorrow, Special Envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be travelling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.

Leavitt added that Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee had a “very productive” meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

“The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution in the region,” she said.

When asked about stalled negotiations with Hamas, Leavitt said: “The quickest way to end the conflict is for Hamas to surrender, to release all of the hostages and to end this conflict. And that’s what the President wants to see. He’s made that very clear.”

On the issue of Palestinian statehood, Leavitt noted Trump’s opposition to recent moves by France, the UK, and Canada to recognise Palestine.

“He feels as though that’s rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and the release of all of the hostages,” she said.

 

 ‘Aid packages dropped’

In another development, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates coordinated with Israel to drop 43 aid packages over Gaza, according to a statement by the Israeli military.

It said the packages containing food were dropped from planes to residents of southern and northern Gaza, again refuting “claims of deliberate starvation” in Gaza.

At least three Palestinians starved to death in Gaza today, according to medical sources in Gaza and the enclave’s authorities.

The UN and other international aid organisations have slammed the air drops as an ineffective and potentially dangerous move that fails to address the root cause of the mass starvation in the enclave, which is Israel’s blocking of necessities as a systematic policy.