Death toll in Gaza since dawn on Wednesday rises to 72

At least 72 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday, Al Jazeera has reported. The number includes nine aid seekers. 

Some 53 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza City alone, where Israeli forces are seeking to expel the Palestinian population. 

Israel has issued expulsion orders for nearly one million Palestinian residents of Gaza City ahead of a planned ground offensive to occupy the famine-stricken city.

The toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since October 2023 has risen to over 64,605, according to the Palestinian health ministry. At least 163,319 others have been wounded during this time. 

At least 2,444 aid seekers have been killed by Israeli forces and mercenaries, mostly at the scandal-plagued Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centres, which the US and Israel back.