The humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip deepened further on Sunday as medical authorities announced that the death toll has risen to 69,483 Palestinians, overwhelmingly women and children, since the Israeli occupation launched its assault on October 7, 2023.

Health officials in Gaza reported that 170,706 people have been injured, with thousands still unaccounted for beneath collapsed homes and bombed-out neighborhoods. Civil Defense teams say countless victims remain trapped under rubble in “high-risk zones” where rescue crews are prevented from reaching due to ongoing Israeli fire and the destruction of access routes.

Although a ceasefire agreement was formally declared on October 11, 2025, the violence on the ground has not fully stopped. Hospitals in the Strip recorded 266 martyrs and 635 injuries since the agreement took effect, a stark reminder of the fragility of the situation and the continued targeting of civilian areas.

In the last 72 hours alone, Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals received 17 bodies — including two new victims and 15 bodies pulled from beneath rubble, as well as  three new injuries from renewed attacks and delayed rescue operations.

Medical officials warn that the numbers are likely higher, as many districts remain inaccessible due to Israeli military positions, unexploded ordnance, and destroyed roads.

Gaza’s health infrastructure—already devastated by months of bombardment—has been unable to cope with the surge in casualties. Hospitals are operating at a fraction of their capacity, lacking fuel, medicine, and surgical supplies. Doctors continue to perform complex operations without anesthesia, while families search frantically for missing loved ones.

Humanitarian groups emphasize that the majority of the dead are children, mothers, and elderly civilians, a reflection of the indiscriminate nature of the Israeli strikes on densely populated areas.

Local authorities stressed that the ongoing blockade and targeted destruction of critical infrastructure have turned Gaza into an unlivable zone. Entire neighborhoods have been erased. Clean water, food supplies, and medical aid remain dangerously limited.

Despite international calls for accountability and an end to the assault, Gaza’s 2.3 million residents continue to face bombardment, siege, starvation, and displacement.

Human rights advocates across the region condemned the continued killing of civilians after the ceasefire, describing it as a blatant violation of humanitarian law and another chapter in the “collective punishment” imposed on Palestine.

As the death toll approaches 70,000, Gaza's people — predominantly children and families — continue to plead for protection, relief, and an end to the aggression that has shattered nearly every aspect of life in the besieged Strip. (ILKHA)