Israel's Gaza offensive kills over 73,000 and sparks widescale West Bank raids

Israeli military actions in Gaza have pushed the death toll since October 2023 to roughly 73,074 people, according to Palestinian health officials. The surge includes more than 21,000 children and a rise in maternal deaths after clinics and fertility centers were targeted, prompting UN condemnation that the attacks amount to “reproductive genocide.” Health services are strained, with many casualties left un‑treated and numerous bodies still under rubble.

Simultaneously, Israeli forces carried out coordinated raids across the occupied West Bank, damaging farms in Kefr Nime, entering homes in Burka, establishing checkpoints at the entrances of Abud and Yebrud villages, and forcibly taking over a house in Atara. About 20 Palestinians, including five women and a journalist, were detained. Authorities reported an increase in the number of women held in Israeli prisons, now reaching 99, while 42 journalists are incarcerated. The operations underscore a broader escalation of Israeli pressure on Palestinian populations in both Gaza and the West Bank.