ISTANBUL

The Palestinian death toll from a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip has surged to 23,357 since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement said that 59,410 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.

“At least 147 people were killed and 243 others injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours,” the ministry added.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” the statement said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar