Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 28,176: Ministry

Gaza, Feb 12

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,176 since October 7, 2023, with 67,784 others being injured, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement.

It added on Sunday that at least 112 Palestinians were killed and 173 others injured by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least 25 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli bombing of a house in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

Israel launched violent airstrikes and artillery bombings in the past few hours on Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, Rafah, and Gaza City, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, said a Palestinian source who requested anonymity.

Herzi Halevi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said on Saturday that the Israeli army was "far from finishing" the fighting in Khan Younis, the Jerusalem Post reported.

During a ground assessment in the Gaza Strip with Ronen Bar, Head of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet, the two officials revealed that Israeli forces killed more than 1,200 "terrorists" in ground operations and another 1,200-1,300 "terrorists" in airstrikes in Khan Younis, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate a Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people in Israel were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

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