Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 31,272: ministry

Palestinians break their fast during Ramadan on the rubble of their house in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday.

Within the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 88 Palestinians and injured 135 others, pushing the total death toll to 31,272 and injuries to 73,024 since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last October, the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini condemned the loss of a large number of children as a result of the conflict.

"Staggering. The number of children reported killed in just over four months in Gaza is higher than the number of children killed in four years of wars around the world combined," he said in a statement. "This war is a war on children. It is a war on their childhood and their future."

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

Palestinians break their fast during Ramadan on the rubble of their house in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Palestinians break their fast during Ramadan on the rubble of their house in central Gaza Strip city of Deir el-Balah, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

People walk past destroyed buildings after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

A man checks the damage after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

People walk past destroyed buildings after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

People walk past destroyed buildings after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

People walk among the rubble of destroyed buildings after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

People walk among the rubble of destroyed buildings after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

A destroyed car is seen on a street after Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 13, 2024. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 13, 2024 shows the city of Khan Younis after Israeli strikes in southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian death toll due to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 31,272, reported the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)