The Gaza Strip's hospitals received the remains of 51 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours, according to the local Health Ministry. This brings the death toll from the 18-month-old Israel-Hamas war to 52,243. The ministry noted that this total includes nearly 700 bodies that were recently documented.
Many of the bodies were retrieved from rubble after earlier strikes.

The conflict escalated after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas on March 18, launching a surprise bombardment that marked the beginning of daily waves of strikes. Israeli ground forces have expanded a buffer zone, encircled the southern city of Rafah, and now control around 50 percent of the territory.
Additionally, Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip, blocking all imports, including food and medicine, for nearly 60 days. Aid groups warn that supplies will soon run out, and thousands of children are already malnourished.

The Israeli government claims the renewed offensive and blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and all hostages are returned. Hamas, however, has stated it will only release the remaining 59 hostages – 24 of whom are believed to be alive – in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The war has devastated Gaza, with vast parts of the territory destroyed and around 90 percent of its population displaced.
Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in squalid tent camps or bombed-out buildings. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, women and children make up most of the Palestinian deaths, and another 117,600 people have been wounded in the war. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants but hasn't provided evidence to support this claim.