178 Palestinians Died In The Last 24 Hours, Death Toll From Israeli Attack On Gaza Reaches 25,100 People

The Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The death toll from the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, Palestine continues to grow, as the region recorded one of the deadliest days since the Hamas-Israeli conflict broke out in October.

Gaza health officials said on Sunday the death toll had exceeded 25,000, as Israeli forces and Hamas fighters clashed in several places, from North Java to Khan Younis in the south, which was the focus of Israel's recent operations.

Gaza's Ministry of Health said 178 Palestinians had died in the past 24 hours, one of the deadliest days of war so far.

A total of 25,105 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children, were killed and 62,681 others injured in Israeli attacks since October 7, the ministry said in a statement.

The report does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but states that most of the victims who died were civilians.

On the other hand, the Israeli military said its troops had killed 15 Palestinian gunmen in fighting in the north, while snipers, backed by air support, had killed a number of militants in Khan Younis.

Separately, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri rejected Israel's statement and the death toll was reported.

Israel launched its campaign to eliminate Hamas after militants stormed Israel on October 7 and went berserk in southern cities and bases, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 people hostage on their return to the enclave.

Despite the huge death toll, the Israeli military said it was taking steps to avoid civilian casualties but accused Hamas of operating in densely populated areas and using civilians as human shields, a charge the Islamist denies.

Meanwhile, most of the 2.3 million residents in the enclave have fled their homes. When most areas of the Gaza Strip were razed to the ground, hospitals and humanitarian agencies struggled to cope, describing the dire conditions.