Gaza death toll tops 24,000 as UN agencies call urgently for more aid

Israeli strikes hit Gaza City and soldiers battled militants in southern Gaza on Monday as the heads of three major U.N. agencies said the enclave desperately needs more aid to ward off famine and disease outbreaks.

More than 100 days into Israel’s war against Hamas, Palestinian authorities said the death toll in the enclave passed 24,000.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by militants.

Report: 2 fatally shot in West Bank

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Health Ministry says two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

The ministry says a 22-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were shot dead in the southern town of Dura.

The Israeli military said its forces opened fire at group of around 100 Palestinians taking part in a violent protest, some of whom had hurled bricks and firebombs at soldiers. The man who was shot had thrown a firebomb, the military said, without providing evidence.

The West Bank has experienced a surge in violence since the war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7. The war was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack from Gaza into southern Israel.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed some 350 Palestinians in the West Bank since Oct. 7. Most have been killed in confrontations with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests.

UN agencies call for more aid to Gaza

The heads of three major U.N. agencies are warning that Gaza urgently needs more aid or its desperate population will suffer widespread famine and disease.

While the U.N. agency chiefs did not directly point a finger at Israel, they said aid delivery is hobbled by the opening of too few border crossings, a slow vetting process for trucks and goods going into Gaza, and continuing fighting throughout the territory. Israel plays a deciding factor in all of those things.

The World Food Program, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said Monday that new entry routes need to be opened to Gaza, more trucks need to be allowed in each day, and aid workers and those seeking aid need to be allowed to move around safely.

“People in Gaza risk dying of hunger just miles from trucks filled with food,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Every hour lost puts countless lives at risk.”

Car-ramming and stabbing attack kills 1

JERUSALEM — Israeli police say at least two Palestinians carried out an attack north of Tel Aviv, ramming cars into pedestrians and stabbing people. One woman was killed and 12 people were wounded.

The police say they arrested two Palestinian suspects from the West Bank. They say the suspects stole three different cars and attempted to run down pedestrians Monday and that the two suspects had been working in Israel without permits.

Israeli rescue services say they treated 13 people, including three in serious condition and seven minors. Some of the victims had stabbing wounds.

France’s Foreign Ministry said two French citizens are among the wounded. In a statement, it said “nothing justifies terrorism″ and that France “assures Israel of its solidarity in this ordeal.″

The attack took place in Ra’anana, a Tel Aviv suburb. Police were searching the area for additional suspects.

Hamas praised the attack but neither it nor other armed groups claimed responsibility.

Authorities: Death toll in Gaza passes 24,000

CAIRO — Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday that the bodies of 132 people killed in Israeli bombardment have been brought to the enclave’s hospitals in the past 24 hours.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defense group, 33 of those were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City.

Hospitals also received 252 wounded, the ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said in its daily briefing.

The fatalities brought the death toll in the strip to 24,100 dead since the war began on Oct. 7, the ministry said, adding that over 60,834 others were wounded.

The ministry, which does not distinguish in its count between fighters and noncombatants, says two-thirds of those killed in the war were women and children.

Israel says it has killed roughly 8,000 militants in the war.