News - Middle East: The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Saturday that the death toll from the ongoing Zionist genocide has risen to 68,116 martyrs and 170,200 injuries since October 7, 2023.

In its daily statistical report, the ministry confirmed that hospitals in the Gaza Strip received 29 martyrs within the past 24 hours — including 23 recovered from beneath the rubble, two who succumbed to their wounds, and four killed in direct attacks by the occupation.

The report noted that the figures do not include 11 martyrs from the Abu Shaaban family massacre in Gaza City’s al-Zaytoun neighborhood, whose bodies remain trapped under the debris. 

The ministry also affirmed that many victims are still lying under rubble and on roads where ambulance and civil defense teams are unable to reach them due to continuous Israeli obstacles.

According to the ministry, the statistics include 120 martyrs whose identities were verified and officially documented by the judicial committee overseeing reports of the missing.

In a related development, Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis reported the martyrdom of a citizen shot dead by Israeli enemy forces stationed northwest of Rafah — one of the areas from which the occupation has not yet withdrawn as part of the initial ceasefire phase.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Government Media Office confirmed that the Israeli enemy committed 47 ceasefire violations, resulting in 38 martyrs and 143 wounded since the ceasefire decision was announced.

On Friday, the occupation forces began a gradual redeployment from several areas across the Gaza Strip toward new positions inside the enclave, coinciding with the start of the ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal. 

The partial withdrawals covered Gaza City except for al-Shuja’iya and parts of al-Tuffah and al-Zaytoun neighborhoods, while in Khan Younis, the withdrawal included parts of the central and eastern areas. However, the occupation continued to prevent civilians from entering Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Rafah City, and Gaza’s coastline.

Following the ceasefire and prisoner-exchange announcement, the Health Ministry received in four separate batches the bodies of 135 martyrs that the occupation had detained during the war. The ministry urged families of martyrs and missing persons to complete identification records to finalize official documentation within its registries.

Since October 7, 2023, the Zionist entity has waged a devastating war on Gaza, leaving tens of thousands dead and wounded and destroying vital infrastructure. Despite the recent ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal, Israeli forces continue to commit violations, block rescue efforts, and prevent civilians from returning home — actions widely condemned as part of an ongoing genocide against the people of Gaza.