Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 55,000: health authorities

GAZA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 55,000, health authorities in Gaza said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 120 people and wounded 474 others, bringing the total death toll to 55,104 and injuries to 127,394 since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out in early October 2023, the health authorities added.

Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on social media platform X that "the Israeli-American aid distribution model in Gaza is putting lives at risk. It is also a distraction from the ongoing atrocities and a waste of resources."

"The humanitarian community in Gaza, including UNRWA, is ready and has the experience and expertise to reach people in need. The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow us safe and unhindered access to bring in aid at scale and distribute it safely," UNRWA added.

These remarks came after at least 28 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by the Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday that overnight, IDF troops fired warning shots toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops, in the area of the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip.

"The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured, the details are under review," it added.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the IDF said its troops continued their operations in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli air forces struck dozens of military targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day.

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in January 2025. However, it collapsed two months later when Israel resumed its military operations in the Gaza Strip after the first phase of the agreement ended, without reaching an agreement on its second phase or its extension.