Gaza death toll surpasses 53,000 as genocide continues for over 18 months

The death toll in Gaza rose to more than 53,000 as the genocide continues for over 18 months, with Palestinians now grappling with famine-like conditions alongside ongoing bloodshed from Israeli military offensive.

At least 143 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israeli attacks across the Strip since dawn on Thursday. 

According to Gaza Health Ministry, at least 53,010 Palestinians have been killed while 119,919 ahve been wounded, since Israel’s war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023.

The ministry stated that the actual death toll could be around 61,700, as thousands were missing and believed to be under rubble. 

Read: 84 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes hit hospitals, refugee camps

Israel bombed several locations in Gaza on the 77th anniversary of Nakba Day, which marks the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine during the establishment of the Israeli state.

The head of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, stated that the world should be shocked by the killing of 45 children in Israeli air strikes in just two days. 

"More than one million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation. They are deprived of food, water and medicine,” Russell wrote in a post on social media.

“More than 1 million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation. They are deprived of food, water and medicine.

All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law.” - Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director pic.twitter.com/lDxTExbpy0

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) May 15, 2025

“Nowhere is safe for children in Gaza,” she said, urging, “This horror must stop,” she added.

The Israeli military also issued forced evacuation orders to displaced Palestinians in the north of the territory, and besieged refugee camps in Beit Lahia.