Gaza Ministry reports 109 martyrs in 24 hours
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In the last 24 hours, Israeli forces have killed at least 109 Palestinians and wounded 216 in Gaza, per the Health Ministry.
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Jana Musa mourns over the body of her father Jawad Musa, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes on a medical center in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, on May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israeli forces continued their relentless assault on the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing at least 109 Palestinians and wounding 216 others within 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Among the dead was one body recovered from beneath the rubble.
A preliminary toll from the early hours of Friday until midday recorded 93 martyrs and over 200 injuries, amid what local officials described as a series of "massacres and targeted attacks" on densely populated civilian areas.
The latest casualties bring the overall death toll since the Israeli war began on October 7, 2023, to 53,119, with more than 120,214 wounded, according to health authorities.
Since March 18, 2025, alone, Israeli attacks have killed 2,985 Palestinians and injured 8,173, marking one of the bloodiest periods in the ongoing war.
On a related note, the United Nations announced on Thursday that it will not participate in a US-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza, citing concerns over the plan’s failure to meet core humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
"This particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles," said Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq during a press briefing. "We will not be participating in this."
The initiative, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is set to begin operations by the end of May. It has faced criticism from humanitarian organizations and UN officials who warn that the structure and oversight of the plan could compromise aid delivery and exacerbate tensions in the blockaded Strip.
The GHF, led by the United States, has requested that the Israeli occupation expand a limited number of secure aid distribution sites in southern Gaza to the more heavily affected north within 30 days. It has also asked for UN agencies and other organizations to resume aid deliveries temporarily until the foundation is fully operational.
No aid has entered Gaza since March 2, and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. According to international famine monitors, more than 500,000 people, around a quarter of Gaza’s population, are facing imminent starvation
While the US and the Israeli occupation have urged the UN and humanitarian organizations to cooperate with the GHF, skepticism persists. Critics argue the foundation does not adhere to the humanitarian principles outlined by the UN and international law.
