DaysofPal – The Ministry of Health in Gaza has announced that five more Palestinians were killed and 17 bodies recovered in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll from Israel’s two-year war on Gaza to 68,858, with 170,664 wounded since October 2013.
In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry said that “a number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets as ambulance and civil defense teams have been unable to reach them so far.”
Despite the ceasefire that began on October 11, Israeli attacks have continued. According to the ministry, 226 Palestinians have been killed and 594 wounded since the truce came into effect, while 499 bodies have been recovered from beneath the vast debris left by Israeli bombardment.
The ministry also reported that in the past 48 hours, 22 bodies were transferred to Gaza hospitals, including five new deaths and 17 recovered remains, in addition to nine people injured.
On Friday, Israel, through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), released 30 bodies of Palestinians killed during the war, bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 225.
Gaza authorities say they are struggling to identify the bodies with very limited resources, resorting to calling in families of the missing to help with identification through clothing, physical characteristics, and injuries.
Munir al-Barsh, Gaza’s director of health, revealed that over 350,000 people with chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension have been left without their prescription drugs, warning of a worsening health crisis.
He said Israeli authorities are blocking the entry of nutritional supplements for children and life-saving medicines, including those used for surgeries and emergency care, exacerbating the humanitarian disaster.
Al-Barsh urged the immediate opening of crossings for medical evacuations, stressing that thousands of patients are in urgent need of treatment outside the besieged Strip.
The Gaza Health Ministry reiterated that the ongoing blockade, coupled with Israel’s repeated attacks and restrictions, has left the health system on the verge of collapse.
For two years, Israel’s genocidal campaign, supported by the United States, has devastated the enclave. Beginning on October 8, 2013, the offensive has killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians, wounded over 170,000, and destroyed 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, leaving the territory in ruins and its people in despair.
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