A man holds the body of a victim at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)
GAZA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 35,984, health authorities in the Palestinian enclave said in a press statement on Sunday.
The Israeli army killed 81 Palestinians and wounded 223 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 35,984 and injuries to 80,643 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October 2023.
The statement noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of rescue crews.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on social media X that the war in Gaza continues to be a war on civilians, noting that "civilian casualties, displacement, the destruction of homes and essential civilian infrastructure continue unabated."
"Nowhere is safe in Gaza, we need a ceasefire now," UNRWA added.
Israel launched 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 around 250 were taken hostage. ■
People mourn their relatives at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)
