Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 28,000 - Hamas-run ministry

The Palestinian death toll in ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 27,947, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said 67,459 Palestinians have been wounded in the coastal enclave since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023.

The ministry added that Israeli forces killed 107 Palestinians and wounded 142 others in the past 24 hours.

It noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and that lack of civil defence and ambulance crews had made response difficult.

Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said Israeli aircraft launched a series of raids targeting several homes in the neighbourhoods of Gaza City, including al-Rimal, al-Sabra, al-Zaytoun, Tal al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ajlin.

The sources told Xinhua that ambulances were unable to reach the targeted locations due to Israel’s aerial and artillery bombardment and drone attacks on everything moving in those areas.

Meanwhile, at least 8 Palestinians were killed in a bombing that targeted two homes in Rafah, the southernmost Gazan city, said medical sources.

According to paramedics, in Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, a number of young men were killed as a result of Israel’s continued artillery shelling.

While another young man and an elderly man were killed by Israeli forces’ bullets in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in the city.

Also, several Palestinians were killed and some others injured as a result of Israeli aircraft bombing a house in the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.