The death toll from Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has risen to 73,821 Palestinians, with 174,897 others wounded, Palestinian medical sources said Thursday, as rescue teams continue to struggle to reach people trapped beneath the rubble.

According to the local reports, Gaza hospitals received the bodies of five Palestinians over the past 24 hours, including two who succumbed to wounds sustained earlier. A further 28 people were reported wounded during the same period.

The latest figures bring the number of Palestinians killed since a ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025, to 1,386, while 4,784 people have been wounded during the same period, according to medical sources. Rescue teams have recovered 831 bodies since the ceasefire.

However, the actual toll is believed to be higher, as numerous Palestinians remain missing beneath collapsed buildings and in areas that emergency crews have been unable to access.

The continuing presence of bodies beneath Gaza's rubble has become one of the most pressing consequences of the massive destruction caused by the war.

The Palestinian government has called for the immediate and unhindered entry of Palestinian and international civil-defense and rescue teams into Gaza to help recover people trapped beneath destroyed buildings.

The appeal came after a war-damaged residential building collapsed in Gaza, killing 21 Palestinians, including eight children, according to Reuters. Palestinian rescue crews managed to pull 45 people from the rubble despite severe shortages of heavy equipment and other essential resources.

The collapse highlighted the dangers faced by Palestinians who have been forced to shelter in buildings damaged during the war because of the severe shortage of safe housing.

The latest casualty figures come as international concern grows over the fate of Palestinians killed during the war and the recovery of bodies from destroyed buildings.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for international investigators to be granted access to Gaza to document and preserve evidence following the discovery of hundreds of bodies and human remains.

The Arab League welcomed Türk's call, saying that the recovery of victims — including women, children and entire families — requires independent documentation and investigation under international law.

Türk has also raised concerns that the circumstances surrounding some of the deaths could point to serious violations of international humanitarian law, underscoring the need to preserve evidence and establish what happened to those who remain unidentified or missing.

Despite the ceasefire, Palestinians continue to be killed and wounded in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported Thursday that a Palestinian was seriously wounded after Israeli shelling struck the roof of Al-Daraj School in Gaza City, which is being used as a shelter for displaced people.

The previous day, Israeli strikes killed two Palestinians in Gaza, including one person killed in the Tuffah neighborhood and another who later died from wounds sustained in an earlier bombardment.

The continuing violence has left large parts of Gaza in ruins. Reuters reported that more than 2 million Palestinians remain in overcrowded or damaged accommodation and temporary shelters, while reconstruction has made little progress.

Palestinian authorities and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, combined with shortages of heavy machinery and other essential equipment, is making it increasingly difficult to recover bodies and provide adequate shelter and medical care.

With thousands still missing and many areas inaccessible, Palestinian officials say the death toll could continue to rise as rescue and recovery operations reach previously inaccessible sites. (ILKHA)