Gaza toll rises past 62,000 amid intensified Israeli attacks in 681 days

GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) — At least 60 Palestinians were killed and 344 wounded in Gaza over the past 24 hours, local health authorities reported Monday, as Israel intensified attacks across the enclave’s largest city ahead of a planned ground takeover.

Hospitals said 27 people seeking food aid were killed and 281 injured in the same period, pushing the overall toll of civilians killed while waiting for relief to 1,965.

The Health Ministry confirmed five new deaths from famine and malnutrition, including two children, raising the number of people who have died from hunger-related causes to 263 — among them 112 children.

Amnesty International accused Israel of waging a “deliberate campaign of starvation,” citing testimonies from doctors treating malnourished children and displaced families.

Intensified strikes and attacks on civilians

Since dawn Monday, at least 19 Palestinians have been killed, including eight who were waiting for aid. Israeli strikes hit multiple neighborhoods in Gaza City:

• Three people, including a child, were killed in the Daraj district.
• Three more died when warplanes struck a gathering in the Bureij refugee camp.
• A fisherman was killed and his brother injured when their boat was targeted in western Gaza.
• A woman was killed when shells hit the Nuseirat camp, while several others were wounded.
• Another man was killed in Nuseirat when his home was bombed.
• A drone strike west of Deir al-Balah killed one civilian and wounded others.

Israeli forces also fired on Palestinians waiting for aid in southern Wadi Gaza, injuring several people.

In Gaza City, artillery fire and booby-trapped demolitions destroyed more homes in Zeitoun and Sabra. Witnesses said similar demolitions occurred in Khan Younis and other districts.

The army also hit a building near Al-Shifa Hospital, injuring civilians, while medical sources reported a strike on a shelter for displaced families in eastern Gaza that killed three people, including a little girl.

Political fallout and regional diplomacy

The Qatari prime minister is due in Egypt on Monday for talks on a possible cease-fire deal, according to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic.

The escalation comes days after Israel’s Security Cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully reoccupy Gaza, sparking international outrage and protests inside Israel. Critics warned the policy could endanger Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced he had revoked visas for Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority after Canberra denied entry to far-right Israeli MP Simcha Rothman.

Meanwhile, Army Radio reported that Israel’s military is considering recruiting Jewish youth from abroad to offset a shortage of 10,000–12,000 soldiers. The shortfall is fueled largely by exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, who make up 13 percent of Israel’s population and refuse compulsory service.

Since the war began in October 2023, more than 62,004 Palestinians have been killed and 156,230 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The campaign has devastated the enclave and pushed it to the brink of famine.

International legal bodies continue to scrutinize Israel’s conduct.

In November last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.