Gazan death march continues as Israeli strikes kill 60 Palestinians
Smoke billows over the southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis during Israeli bombardment, Jan. 15, 2024. (AFP Photo)


At least 60 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza taking the death toll there past 24,000, the territory's Health Ministry said Monday.

Over 24,100 Palestinians have been killed and 60,834 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the ministry said in a statement.

It added that dozens of people were also wounded in what the Gazan Media Office described as "intense" Israeli strikes and artillery bombardments across the besieged enclave.

The strikes hit the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as areas around Gaza City, the media office said.

It said two hospitals, a girls' school and "dozens" of homes were among the targets.

Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have been hit repeatedly by Israeli strikes in Gaza since the war erupted.

The Israeli military accuses Hamas of having tunnels under hospitals and using them as command centers, with no substantial proof yet.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, at least five Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire earlier Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said a 14-year-old boy lost his life to Israeli army fire in Ein Sultan refugee camp in Jericho.

According to the state news agency WAFA, the boy was shot in the chest by Israeli forces during a military raid in the camp. He was transferred to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The ministry said another two Palestinians were killed near the town of Sa’ir east of Hebron, without providing any details about the circumstances leading to their death.

The Palestinian Red Cross Society said the two young men were killed by gunfire near the settlement of Asfar in Wadi al-Reem near the town of Sa'ir.

A Palestinian source told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that the young men were on a hunting trip east of the town when they came under fire.

Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli army gunfire near the city of Ramallah, the ministry said without providing further details.

In another statement late Sunday, the ministry reported that another Palestinian minor, 16, was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the city of Al-Bireh, without providing further details about the circumstances of his death.

Tension has been running high across the West Bank amid almost daily Israeli raids into Palestinian towns as Tel Aviv continues its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which left nearly 24,000 people dead.

Around 5,875 Palestinians have been detained in 100 days of Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to figures released by the Palestinian Prisoner Society.