Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip has claimed the lives of at least 67,806 people, with 170,066 others wounded since the beginning of the aggression on October 7, 2023, according to medical sources in the besieged enclave.

Health authorities reported that 124 Palestinians, including 117 bodies retrieved from the rubble, were brought to hospitals across Gaza in the past 24 hours. At least 33 others were wounded in the latest wave of bombardments that targeted residential neighborhoods, displaced shelters, and main roads.

Despite the ceasefire negotiations and repeated international appeals for a halt to the violence, Israeli warplanes and artillery have continued to pound various parts of the Gaza Strip, especially in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Deir al-Balah.

Civil defense crews and ambulances have been unable to reach many of the bombed areas due to the extensive destruction of roads and the ongoing presence of Israeli occupation forces. Dozens of families are believed to remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings, particularly in the northern and central regions of the Strip.

Eyewitnesses describe scenes of devastation, with entire residential blocks turned to dust, families buried alive under the debris, and survivors desperately searching for loved ones.

“The situation is catastrophic,” said a civil defense volunteer in Gaza City. “We dig with our hands to recover the bodies, but the bombardments never stop. The occupation’s tanks and drones are everywhere.”

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has repeatedly warned that the health system is collapsing under the weight of the continuous assault and total blockade. Hospitals are operating without electricity, medicines, or fuel, forcing medical staff to perform surgeries without anesthesia and to use candlelight amid shortages of even basic medical supplies.

Over 1.9 million Palestinians, representing more than 80% of Gaza’s population, have been forcibly displaced. Many now live in tents or makeshift shelters amid outbreaks of disease and hunger.

According to UN agencies, famine-like conditions are worsening, with over 460 Palestinians—including 154 children—already dead from starvation and dehydration due to Israel’s deliberate obstruction of food and aid deliveries.

Human rights organizations have accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, citing indiscriminate attacks, mass starvation, and the targeting of civilian infrastructure. Despite mounting evidence, the international community—particularly the United States and European powers—continues to arm and fund the Israeli war machine.

Analysts say the scale of death and destruction in Gaza has far surpassed that of previous wars, with Israel’s actions amounting to systematic annihilation of the Palestinian people.

Palestinian political and religious leaders condemned what they described as the “world’s complicit silence” in the face of genocide.

“The blood of Gaza’s children is on the hands of every government that continues to support Israel,” said a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gaza. “The occupation seeks to erase an entire people, and yet the so-called international community remains mute.”

As Gaza’s death toll nears 68,000, the Strip stands on the brink of total ruin — a scar on the conscience of humanity and a testament to the resilience of a people who, despite unimaginable suffering, continue to resist occupation and oppression. (ILKHA)