More than 43,000 Palestinians killed in war with Israel, health chiefs say
Women and children make up more than half of this figure, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The number of Palestinians killed in the war in Gaza has passed 43,000, more than half of them women and children, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The tally includes 96 dead who arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past two days, the ministry said.
The grim milestone comes after Israeli troops launched an ongoing operation in northern Gaza that included a raid on a hospital over the weekend.
A total of 44 male staff were detained, according to the World Health Organisation.
Palestinian medical officials said the hospital, which was treating some 200 patients, was heavily damaged in the raid.
Israel has raided several hospitals in Gaza over the course of the war, saying Hamas and other militants use them for military purposes.
Palestinian medical officials deny those allegations and accuse the military of recklessly endangering civilians.
The Israeli military has called on Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where it has been waging a large offensive for more than three weeks.
The UN said earlier this month at least 400,000 people are still in northern Gaza and hunger is rampant as the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the north has plummeted over the past month.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities – who do not differentiate between militants and civilians, but say more than a half of these casualties were women and children.
The Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others, on October 7 last year.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s health ministry says the total toll over the past year there is over 2,600 killed and 12,200 injured.
The fighting in Lebanon has driven 1.2 million people from their homes, including more than 400,000 children, according to the United Nations children’s agency.
Israeli strikes have killed much of Hezbollah’s top leadership since fighting ramped up in September.
