The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to at least 31,112 in more than five months of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, the health ministry said on Monday. The latest figures include 67 deaths that have been recorded in the past 24 hours. At least 72,760 people have been injured since the outbreak of hostilities on 7 October, the ministry statement added.
On Sunday, the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Gaza saw relentless fighting as Israeli forces and Hamas militants engaged in deadly clashes with no ceasefire in sight.
On the first day of Ramadan, Israeli military action continued with the bombardment of Gaza, resulting in at least 10 deaths in an attack on Gaza City and three deaths in an air raid in southern Rafah. Meanwhile, in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces prevented hundreds of Muslim worshippers from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers marking the start of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden expressed his deep concern for the suffering of the Palestinian people as Ramadan begins and pledged unrelenting efforts to broker an immediate and lasting ceasefire. He also pledged continued US engagement to facilitate the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to achieve a ceasefire lasting at least six weeks, including the release of Hamas-held captives.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, said that the Israeli military campaign had resulted in the deaths of at least 13,000 ‘terrorists’ and vowed to continue the offensive, with a particular focus on Rafah.
The Gaza war broke out following an unprecedented Hamas assault on southern Israel that killed some 1,160 people. The militants also took 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a November ceasefire. Israel’s estimate is that 99 hostages are still alive and 31 are dead.
