Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that Israeli forces killed 130 Palestinians and wounded 1,155 over the previous 24-hour period as airstrikes and massacres of people seeking aid continue.
The Health Ministry said that another four bodies were recovered from the rubble. “A number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them at this time,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
Among the dead were 99 Palestinians who were killed while seeking aid, most of whom were killed on Sunday while attempting to reach UN aid trucks that entered northern Gaza. The ministry said that the number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid has risen to 1,021, and over 6,511 have been injured.
Israeli strikes on Monday included an attack on a water desalination plant in Gaza City, which killed at least five Palestinians, including a woman. In southern Gaza, five members of the same family were killed by a strike on tents sheltering displaced people.
Also on Monday, Israeli tanks and ground troops launched an offensive in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, the only city that hasn’t seen major ground operations. Family members of Israeli captives believe many of the remaining hostages could be held in the area and have released a statement expressing concern over the new offensive.
“The families of the hostages are shocked and alarmed by these reports. As of this moment, we have received no official, organized updates or satisfactory answers on this matter,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “The families of the hostages are shocked and alarmed by these reports.”
The new Israeli ground offensive comes amid a spike in starvation deaths in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade, and many aid groups are based in Deir el-Balah. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that two of the UN’s guest houses in the area were struck by the IDF despite the Israeli military being aware of their location. “These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders,” he said.
The Health Ministry said that the latest violence has brought its death toll since October 7, 2023, to 59,02,9, and the number of wounded to 142,135. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.
