Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 40,405

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 40,405, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Sunday, reported Xinhua.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 71 people and wounded 112 others, bringing the total death toll to 40,405 and injuries to 93,468 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, it added.

A number of victims remain trapped under rubble and scattered on roads, as ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them, it said.

The authorities said in a separate statement that despite resource scarcity and operational difficulty, the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, resumed operations on Sunday after being closed for 50 days.

The hospital is now offering round-the-clock services in surgery, pediatrics, and internal medicine, said the statement.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.