Gaza death toll surges over 30,000 as a strike kills scores

Jerusalem: More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war nearly five months ago, health officials in the territory said as a strike on a crowd of people waiting for aid in Gaza City killed and wounded scores on Thursday.

At least 70 people were killed as Palestinians lined up for humanitarian assistance, said Gaza's Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra. Another 280 people were wounded, he said.

The war has driven 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes, and UN officials say a quarter of the population is starving.

After the strike, Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war in the territory climbed to 30,035, with another 70,457 wounded.

The ministry does not distinguish in its count between fighters and noncombatants. Israel says it has killed 10,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel's air, sea and ground offensive launched in response to Hamas' Oct 7 attack has caused widespread devastation in Gaza City, largely isolating it from the rest of the territory for months, with little aid entering.

The war has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and sparked global concern over the situation in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town along the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety from Israel's daily bombardments.

The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed across southern Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 others hostage. (AP)