Gaza, February 24 (QNA) - The health ministry in Gaza said the number of people killed since the start of the occupation's genocidal war on Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 72,073, with 171,757 others injured.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said that seven injured people had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours. It added that a number of victims remain trapped under rubble or lying in the streets, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them.

According to the ministry, since a ceasefire came into effect last October, 615 people have been killed and 1,658 injured. It also said that 726 bodies had been recovered from beneath rubble during that period.

A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel entered into force on October 10 last year, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of the territory and the return of displaced residents to northern Gaza. The truce formed part of the first phase of an initiative proposed by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war. (QNA)