Over 60,000 Palestinians killed in 21-month Israel’s war on Gaza

Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 21-month Israel’s war on Gaza, Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said the death toll has climbed to 60,034, with another 145,870 people wounded since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Israel's offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine.

As international organizations warn of a "worst-case scenario of famine," Israel continued to strike the Gaza Strip, killing at least 70 Palestinians in the past day, according to local hospitals. More than half were killed while attempting to access aid, hospitals said, and includes a rising toll from a deadly incident on Monday as people attempted to access aid from a truck convoy passing through the southern Gaza Strip.

Local hospitals said they received the bodies of an additional 33 people who were killed by gunfire around an aid convoy in southern Gaza on Monday, bringing the total from the single incident to 58. The Israeli military did not comment on the shooting.

Israel says it only targets Hamas and takes extraordinary measures to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas military infrastructure over the past day including rocket launchers, weapons storage facilities and tunnels.

An additional seven Palestinians were killed while attempting to access aid near the American and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund site in central Gaza, according to local hospitals.

Neither GHF nor the Israeli military commented on the shooting, but the Israeli military has said in the past it only fires warning shots if troops feel threatened and GHF has said their contractors haven't fired at civilians.

Air strikes also targeted tents hosting displaced people in the central city of Nuseirat, killing 30 people, including 12 children and 14 women, according to Al-Awda hospital.

The strikes come as international organizations continue to warn about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has teetered on the brink of famine for two years. Recent developments have "dramatically worsened" the situation, according to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday rejected claims of "starvation policies" in Gaza and said the focus on starvation is a "distorted campaign of international pressure."

"This pressure is directly sabotaging the chances for a ceasefire and hostage deal, it is only pushing towards military escalation by hardening Hamas's stance," he said.

Both the US and Israel have recalled their negotiating teams over the past week as negotiations seem to have stalled.

Associated Press