9 more Gazans killed by Israeli fire in last 24 hours, death toll tops 73,400

Nine more Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 2023 to 73,431 people, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. In a statement, the ministry said the toll included six people killed by Israeli forces, two who died of their wounds and one whose body was recovered from the rubble. The ministry said 36 people were also injured by Israeli forces in the last 24 hours, taking the injuries to 174,437 people. A medical source earlier told Anadolu that two Palestinians died of wounds from Israeli army fire in the Gaza Strip. The source said that one Palestinian died from injuries sustained in Israeli shelling west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday. Another Palestinian died from serious injuries sustained in an Israeli strike on the Al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis several days earlier, the same source said. Meanwhile, local sources told Anadolu that Israeli military vehicles opened heavy fire toward homes and tents sheltering displaced civilians in areas south of Khan Younis. Israeli artillery also fired shells toward the Bureij refugee camp and the area around the Wadi Gaza bridge in central Gaza. In northern Gaza, Israeli vehicles opened heavy fire toward Palestinian homes in Beit Lahia amid intense artillery shelling, eyewitnesses said. The attacks came despite US President Donald Trump’s call for Israel to stop strikes on Gaza. In an interview with Fox News on Aug. 17, Trump said “Israelis should not be striking in Gaza. Hamas agreed to lay down their weapons” under his plan to end the war in the enclave. Despite the Oct. 10, 2025 ceasefire, Israeli violations have killed 1,296 Palestinians and injured 4,296 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. ​​​​​​​Alongside the casualties, Israel has destroyed around 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, while the UN has estimated reconstruction costs at about $70 billion.