Gaza Death Toll Tops 30,000 As Hospitals Struggle to Cope

According to the latest update by the health ministry in the besieged enclave, the situation has overwhelmed medical facilities. Faris Afana, head of the ambulance service at al-Shifa Hospital, stated, "We have only three ambulances operational, as we ran out of fuel. We drove along al-Rashid road to find dozens of dead bodies lying on the way... For more than four hours now, we have been transporting victims to the hospitals."

Donkey carts and private cars were pressed into service to transport over 200 wounded individuals, while ambulances returned to retrieve additional bodies.

"This is genocide against our people," Afana declared, referring to the Palestinians who were killed by Israeli tanks while waiting for food aid. "Those were innocent civilians waiting for days for the trucks carrying relief aid. It is a war crime, it is a genocide by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people."

Stating to Al-Jazeera, Ismail al-Ghoul said that the crisis has stretched hospitals in northern Gaza to their limits. "Hospitals are no longer able to accommodate the huge number of patients because they lack fuel, let alone medicine. Hospitals have also run out of blood," he added.

Despite ongoing efforts to retrieve more bodies, ambulances are unable to reach the area due to the destruction of roads. "As the Israeli military opened fire on the aid seekers, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies in the southwestern parts of Gaza City. It is a massacre, on top of the starvation threatening citizens in Gaza," al-Ghoul added.

This latest escalation follows an attack this morning that left at least 77 Palestinians dead and over 250 wounded, according to the Government Media Office. The dead and wounded have been taken to al-Shifa Hospital as well as Kamal Adwan Hospital, with some being rushed to the Ahli and Jordanian hospitals. The number of casualties is expected to rise as the situation unfolds.