Gaza death toll rises to 62,622
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 62,622 people and wounded 157,673.
In the latest 24-hour reporting period, the bodies of 61 people and 308 injured Palestinians have been brought to hospitals across the besieged enclave, hospital officials said.
Moreover, the bodies of 16 people killed while seeking aid and 111 wounded aid seekers were brought to Gaza’s health facilities in the past 24 hours.
The deaths raise the total number of aid seekers who have been killed by Israeli fire since the establishment of the food distribution system by the Israel- and US-backed GHF at the end of May to 2,076 with more than 15,308 wounded.
After famine declaration, Palestinian Health Ministry says thousands of lives at risk
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says despite its lateness, it “appreciates” the declaration of famine in the enclave by the global hunger monitor.
“We emphasise that the engineering of starvation is one aspect of the chapters of genocide, which also include the systematic destruction of the health sector and other sectors, mass killing, and the policy of exterminating generations,” the ministry wrote in a statement on Telegram.
It added that “hundreds” of people who have died could have been saved while “the lives of thousands are at stake”.
“The international community faces a real test; time calls for actions, not just statements, despite their importance.”
Time for Israel to ‘stop denying the famine it has created’
Commissioner General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, says it’s time for the Israeli government to “stop denying the famine it has created in Gaza”.
“All of those who have influence must use it with determination & a sense of moral duty. Every hour counts,” Lazzarini wrote on X in response to a statement by UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher.
On Friday, Fletcher announced the findings of a UN-backed IPC report that declared famine was present in the enclave after more than 22 months of war and an ongoing siege on humanitarian aid by Israel.
It’s time for the Government of Israel to stop denying the famine it has created in #Gaza
All of those who have influence must use it with determination & a sense of moral duty.
Every hour counts.#Famine_in_Gaza https://t.co/NnC8kX01mt
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 23, 2025
