Amman, Aug. 25 (Petra)-- Medical sources in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Strip has risen to 73,431, with 174,437 others injured, since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023.

According to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), hospitals in Gaza received nine bodies over the past 24 hours, including six newly killed Palestinians, two who succumbed to injuries sustained earlier, and one body recovered from the rubble.

The sources said the death toll since the ceasefire that took effect on October 11 has reached 1,296, with 4,296 people injured, in addition to the recovery of 814 bodies.

They stressed that a number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and on roads, as ambulance and rescue crews face difficulties reaching and recovering them.

Separately, Palestinian Prisoners’ Club Chairman Abdullah Zaghari warned of the continued Israeli policy of withholding the bodies of Palestinians killed and refusing to hand them over to their families, saying the practice forms part of an ongoing system of violations against Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people.

Zaghari said Israel had, according to documented figures, acknowledged holding the bodies of around 1,900 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip, without disclosing their whereabouts or providing information to their families. He added that Palestinian institutions continue to document additional cases of withheld bodies.

He held Israel responsible for the continued policy of enforced disappearance affecting thousands of Palestinians, particularly those from Gaza, noting that estimates indicate more than 15,000 Palestinians have been detained amid a lack of accurate figures due to Israel’s refusal to disclose information.

//Petra// MF