GAZA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 34,488, said the Hamas-run Health Ministry on Monday.
The ministry added in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 34 Palestinians and wounded 68 others during the past 24 hours.
This brings the total death toll to 34,488 and injuries to 77,643 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.
The statement noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews.
Meanwhile, at least 20 Palestinians were killed Sunday night in Israeli airstrikes on three residential buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.
Local sources told Xinhua that many others were still trapped under the rubble, adding that civil defense crews were working to rescue them.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. ■
