GAZA – At least 40 Palestinians were killed and 146 others injured in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip within the last 24 hours, local health authorities reported Thursday.
In a press statement, the Gaza-based health authorities said the victims’ bodies and the injured had been transferred to hospitals.
According to the statement, the number of Palestinians killed since Israel resumed its Gaza offensive on March 18 has risen to 1,522, bringing the overall death toll since the start of the war in October 2023 to 50,886, in addition to 115,875 injuries.
The health authorities also called for increased medical supplies to address the critical shortage of essential medications and medical equipment in Gaza’s hospitals and primary care centers.
The authorities cautioned that the closure of crossings into Gaza is exacerbating the ongoing crisis. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, all crossings into Gaza have remained closed for humanitarian and commercial shipments since March 2.
Also on Thursday, Palestinian sources said Israeli authorities released 10 Palestinian prisoners through Kissufim, a small crossing to the northeast of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
These prisoners, arrested during Israeli ground operations in the Palestinian enclave, have arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. They were seen disembarking from a bus in poor health, wearing prison uniforms.
The Israeli military has detained thousands of Palestinians during its ground offensive in Gaza since October 2023.
XINHUA
