Despite the declaration of a ceasefire on October 11, the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continues to deepen, with the Palestinian death toll rising to at least 68,159 martyrs, the vast majority of them women and children, since the beginning of Israel’s aggression in October 2023.

More than 170,203 others have been injured, while thousands remain missing beneath the rubble of destroyed homes and infrastructure.

Medical officials in Gaza confirmed that in the past 24 hours alone, 18 bodies—including 10 recovered from under the rubble and eight targeted directly by Israeli forces—were brought to local hospitals, alongside three wounded individuals. The figures, they warned, remain incomplete due to the ongoing Israeli obstruction of civil defense teams and the severe shortage of fuel and equipment for rescue operations.

Since the ceasefire officially took effect, 35 Palestinians have been killed and 146 others wounded, underscoring Israel’s repeated violations of the truce and disregard for international mediation efforts. Local authorities stress that the occupation continues to launch air and artillery attacks across multiple areas of the besieged enclave, particularly in Khan Younis and Rafah, targeting civilian neighborhoods and makeshift shelters housing displaced families.

The Gaza Ministry of Health noted that 414 bodies have been recovered since the start of the ceasefire, many in an advanced state of decomposition, as rescue teams finally gained access to areas that had been under heavy Israeli bombardment for months. The recovery operations remain perilous due to unexploded ordnance and continued Israeli drone surveillance, which often deters rescue crews from reaching the hardest-hit zones.

Meanwhile, 15 unidentified bodies—previously withheld by the Israeli occupation—were handed over to Palestinian authorities as part of the ongoing ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. This brings the total number of bodies returned by Israel to 150, delivered in several batches (45, 45, 30, 15, and 15). Palestinian human rights organizations have condemned Israel’s practice of detaining the bodies of martyrs, describing it as a flagrant violation of human dignity and international humanitarian law.

Gaza’s Government Media Office denounced Israel’s continued aggression despite international guarantees accompanying the ceasefire agreement, stressing that the so-called truce has failed to halt the suffering of civilians. “The occupation continues to violate the ceasefire daily, committing massacres and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid,” the office said, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to adhere to its commitments.

Humanitarian conditions across the Strip remain catastrophic. More than two million Palestinians are facing acute shortages of food, medicine, and clean water, while hundreds of thousands remain homeless after the destruction of entire neighborhoods. Hospitals, already on the brink of collapse, continue to struggle with the influx of wounded and a lack of medical supplies due to the blockade.

Observers and rights groups argue that Israel’s continued attacks during the ceasefire expose the fragility of the agreement and highlight the occupation’s contempt for international law. Despite the heavy toll and immense suffering, Palestinians continue to endure with remarkable resilience, holding steadfast to their right to live freely and rebuild their shattered homeland.

The ongoing bloodshed serves as a stark reminder that a ceasefire alone cannot bring peace without accountability and justice for the countless victims of Israeli aggression. For Gaza’s people, the truce remains only a pause between massacres — a temporary silence in a long struggle for survival and liberation. (ILKHA)