The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 25,000, local health officials said Sunday, as Israel presses forward with its campaign to eliminate the threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Gaza Ministry of Health on Sunday Said Since Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7, 25,105 people have been killed and more than 62,600 injured in the coastal enclave. This number also includes 178 bodies taken to hospitals in the Gaza Strip since Saturday, the Health Ministry added.
According to the Associated Press, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Khidra said the overall death toll was believed to be much higher, with several bodies left under debris from the Israeli attack and in areas where medical workers could not reach them. He said that it would be possible.
The Ministry of Health does not distinguish between civilians and combatants when tallying the death toll, but about two-thirds of those killed in Gaza were women and minors, the newswire added.
The figures were announced more than 100 days after the start of the war, sparked by Hamas's invasion of Israel, which has killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. An estimated 250 people were taken hostage in these attacks, and Hamas released about 100 during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Israel responded to the October 7 attack by quickly launching a major counteroffensive in Gaza, including air attacks and ground incursions into northern Gaza. With much of the northern part of the enclave flattened by Israeli attacks, Israeli forces have shifted their focus to the southern city of Khan Yunis and refugee camps in central Gaza, the Associated Press reported.
The Israeli military has claimed to have killed around 9,000 militants, although it has not provided evidence, with 195 of its soldiers killed, the news wire said.
Violence in Gaza has forced an estimated 85 percent of Gaza's population (approximately 1.9 million people) from their homes and into overcrowded shelters and hospitals, with food, water and medical supplies dwindling. The United Nations announced last week. The World Food Program said last month that about nine out of 10 Palestinians eat less than one meal a day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has largely rejected international calls for a ceasefire, insisting that Israel will not stop its attacks until it has achieved “complete victory” against Hamas and sees the return of the remaining hostages.
The remaining hostages are believed to be held in Hamas' complex and deep underground tunnels, and Israel has only been able to rescue one hostage since the war began, the Associated Press reported. Hamas said several people were killed in airstrikes and failed rescue operations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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