Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 43,712

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 43,712, and the total injuries reached 103,258, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli military operations in Gaza have caused 47 deaths and 182 injuries, the statement said.

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Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 43,712

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Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 43,712

The health authorities said that Israeli forces on Wednesday launched airstrikes on the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in 14 deaths and dozens of injuries. Regions including Beit Lahia, Nuseirat and Rafah were also attacked by Israeli air forces, causing deaths and injuries.

The Wednesday report from Israeli media Haaretz said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is "gearing up to remain in Gaza until end of 2025, at least".

The report said the Israeli forces have been building a great number of outposts in Gaza and engaged in facility construction, including road expansion, communication antennas installation, and connection of water and electricity supply systems.

Haaretz said that all these indicated that the Israeli forces have been preparing for a long-term presence in Gaza.

Since the breakout of this round of Palestine-Israel conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that the Israeli forces will have freedom of movement across Gaza even after the end of the conflict.

In February, Netanyahu unveiled a post-war strategy for Gaza, stressing that Israel will "maintain operational freedom of military actions throughout the Gaza Strip, without time constraints", which then was met with opposition from many sides.

In May, then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant publicly challenged the post-war strategy of Netanyahu, and was fired by the prime minister earlier this month.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,581, with 108,438 others injured, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Palestinian media reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched attacks on Jabalia in northern Gaza, the suburbs of Gaza City, and refugee camps in Khan Younis on Wednesday and Thursday.

Gaza's interior authorities confirmed on Thursday that Mahmoud Salah, the director-general of Gaza's police department, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the population of Gaza has fallen 6 percent since the conflict broke out in October 2023, and some 60,000 pregnant women are facing grave health risks in the enclave due to a shortage of medical supplies.