174 Palestinians killed in Gaza in last 24 hours, death toll rises to 26,257

At least 174 Palestinians were killed and 310 others injured in the last 24 hours as the Israeli army continues its onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the territory’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.

“The Israeli occupation committed 18 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 174 martyrs and 310 injured during the past 24 hours,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the statement said.

With the latest Palestinian casualties, the death toll from Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 26,257, with 64,797 others injured, the ministry said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.