By Nadine Osman
London,(The Muslim News): The confirmed death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 66,000, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Gaza Health Ministry, as Israel’s military occupation intensifies. The Ministry stated that at least 66,148 Palestinians have been killed since the onset of Israel’s war on the Strip in October 2023—a campaign that UN experts have officially described as genocide.
In the past 24 hours alone, 51 fatalities were documented, with bodies recovered and transported to hospitals, whilst 180 people were wounded. This brings the total number of reported injuries to 168,716 since the conflict began. The Ministry further emphasised that many victims remain trapped beneath rubble and on inaccessible roads, where emergency crews are unable to reach them
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate as the Israeli army has closed two main roads in Gaza City, effectively severing the north from the south. This move is part of Tel Aviv’s plan to fully reoccupy the city. Army spokesman Avichay Adraee stated on the social media platform X that the Netzarim Axis was closed to movement from the south to “gain operational control over the Netzarim Corridor.” He also confirmed the closure of Al-Rasheed Street, a key coastal road, while assuring that those still in Gaza City could move south “without any searches.”
Since August, the Israeli army has been attempting to forcibly evacuate Gaza City as part of a gradual plan to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip. In parallel, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that Israel kills an average of 100 Palestinians in Gaza each day, a figure that excludes those dying from starvation and lack of medical care.
“On average, 100 people are reported killed every day in Gaza due to the Israeli military operation or shootings at aid distribution points,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on X. “Meanwhile, others die of hunger or lack of medical care.”
The relentless bombardment has rendered Gaza largely uninhabitable, with most casualties being women and children, and has triggered a widespread famine. On May 27, Israel launched a separate aid distribution scheme through the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), bypassing established UN and international agencies. Since then, nearly 2,600 people have been killed and 19,000 injured by Israeli fire while attempting to collect aid.
“The growing death toll is fuelling a growing indifference,” Lazzarini stated, urging the international community to document ongoing Israeli crimes. “The suffering must be heard and attended to,” he added, renewing his call for an immediate ceasefire.
On Wednesday, fresh Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas of Gaza killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded many others. In the Al-Daraj neighbourhood, seven people were killed in an airstrike on a home. Eleven more were killed, including seven civil defence officers, when Al-Falah School in Al-Zeitoun, which was sheltering displaced families, was struck. Two people were killed in a strike on a home in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood, while two fatalities occurred in a civilian gathering near a mosque in Al-Sabra. Additionally, one person was killed by shelling in the Al-Nafaq area.
Central Gaza also saw significant casualties. Five people were killed when Israeli forces struck a water truck, and buildings near the Islamic University were set ablaze. In the central Gaza Strip, two Palestinians were killed in a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, another was killed in Al-Bureij, and four people, including children, died in a strike on a tent in Deir al-Balah.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated in occupied Jerusalem as at least 489 Israeli colonists, protected by heavily armed police, stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Eyewitnesses reported that the Jewish settlers conducted provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals. The incursion followed calls from extremist groups for a larger-scale invasion scheduled for next Monday under the pretext of celebrating the Jewish “Feast of Tabernacles.”
[Photo: Smoke rises from destroyed buildings as Palestinians continue to flee northern Gaza following heavy Israeli attacks, in Gaza City, Gaza on October 1, 2025. Families, carrying what belongings they could, moved with vehicles, donkey carts, and on foot along al-Rashid Street toward the central part of Gaza. Photojournalist: Khames Alrefi/AA]
