GAZA CITY: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Saturday said more than 70,000 people have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted more than two years ago.&nbsp;The milestone comes as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire largely holds, but with both sides accusing the other of violating the terms of the deal.&nbsp;In a statement, Gaza&#39;s health ministry said the death toll from the war had risen to 70,100.&nbsp;The ministry said that since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, 354 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire.&nbsp;Two bodies arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours, the ministry said, one of which had been recovered from beneath the rubble.&nbsp;It noted that the spike from the last death toll was due to the fact that the data relating to 299 bodies had been processed and approved by the authorities.&nbsp;Despite the ceasefire, the Palestinian territory remains in a deep humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.&nbsp;On that day, militants abducted 251 people into Gaza.&nbsp;At the start of the latest ceasefire, militants were holding 20 living hostages and 28 bodies of deceased captives.&nbsp;Hamas has since released all the living hostages and returned the remains of 26 dead hostages.&nbsp;In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.

Middle East

Gaza’s health ministry reports over 70,000 deaths since the Israel-Hamas war began, as a fragile ceasefire holds amid violations. Hostage and prisoner exchanges continue, but Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis despite reduced fighting.

Death toll from Gaza war surpasses 70,000: health ministry

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Smoke billowed over Wadi Gaza on Wednesday as strikes killed at least 16 Palestinians, according to officials in the besieged territory.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Israel&rsquo;s military campaign has now killed more than 61,100 people since October 2023.&nbsp;The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the death toll averages 100 Palestinians per day, underscoring the relentless pace of the war. Recent victims included civilians seeking refuge in a Gaza City school converted into a shelter for displaced families.&nbsp;Israel&rsquo;s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned civilians to evacuate Gaza City, declaring it the &ldquo;last opportunity&rdquo; to move south and leave Hamas fighters isolated. &ldquo;Those who remain will be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters,&rdquo; Katz posted on X.&nbsp;Israeli forces said they had seized the Netzarim corridor, severing northern Gaza from the south, while closing the last remaining passage into the north. Residents fleeing south must now cross Israeli checkpoints. Yet many civilians say there is no safe place left.&nbsp;&ldquo;I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the south,&rdquo; said 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering at Al-Shifa Hospital. &ldquo;All areas are dangerous. The bombing is everywhere. Displacement is terrifying and humiliating.&rdquo;&nbsp;The heavy bombardment comes as Hamas weighs a peace proposal advanced by US President Donald Trump. The plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas&rsquo;s disarmament, and a phased Israeli withdrawal. It also envisions a transitional authority for Gaza led by Trump himself.&nbsp;While Arab and Muslim nations cautiously welcomed the proposal, Hamas leaders remain divided. A source close to the group told AFP that some members support unconditional acceptance to halt the bloodshed, while others reject clauses on disarmament and the exclusion of Hamas from Gaza&rsquo;s future.&nbsp;&ldquo;Hamas and the factions want an immediate ceasefire,&rdquo; the source said, &ldquo;but not at the cost of compromising core national principles.&rdquo;&nbsp;Israel&rsquo;s offensive, launched after Hamas&rsquo;s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. According to health ministry figures, now cited by the UN as credible, at least 66,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed.

The UN reports Gaza’s death toll surpassing 61,000, with 100 Palestinians killed daily. Israel tightens its siege on Gaza City, as Hamas weighs a US-brokered ceasefire plan calling for disarmament and phased Israeli withdrawal.

Articles tagged with "Gaza Death toll"

Death toll from Gaza war surpasses 70,000: health ministry

UN reports 100 Palestinians killed daily, Gaza death toll surpasses 61,000