Gaza health ministry reports 26 killed in Israeli airstrikes, death toll rises to over 71,700

CAIRO - 31 January 2026: The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said Israeli airstrikes on the territory on Saturday killed at least 26 Palestinians and injured more than 30 others, some of them in critical condition, according to initial figures.

In a statement, the ministry said that a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense teams have so far been unable to reach them. It added that the cumulative death toll since the start of the offensive on October 7, 2023, has risen to 71,769 Palestinians killed and 171,483 wounded.

The ministry also noted that 85 additional fatalities were added to the overall death toll between January 23 and January 30, 2026, after their data was completed and formally approved by the Martyrs’ Recognition Committee.

Since dawn on Saturday, Israeli warplanes have continued intensive bombardment of multiple areas across the Gaza Strip. The strikes also triggered fires in tents sheltering displaced families in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the enclave, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.