The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 50,000, health officials say

More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the result of Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion after Hamas’ terror attack.

The Israel Defense Forces’ assault has killed at least 50,021 people, which equates to more than 2.1% of the 2.3 million people living in the enclave.

A number of additional victims remain under the rubble and on roads that are unreachable by ambulance and civil defense crews, the ministry said.

The World Health Organization has said that the numbers given by health officials in Gaza are reputable.

The grim milestone arrives more than 18 months after Hamas launched multipronged surprise attacks on Israel that left 1,200 people dead, according to officials in the country, with another 240 people taken hostage by Hamas and other affiliated militant groups.

Last week, Israel broke the two-month ceasefire with Hamas, with the resumption of airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza killing nearly 700 people.

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Israel has ordered its troops to permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip — to be “annexed to Israel” — unless Hamas hands over the remaining hostages, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday.

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify those operations until the militant group, which nominally controlled Gaza before this round of conflict, returns the 59 dead and living hostages whom it continues to hold captive.

Katz also threatened the use of “all military and civilian pressure tools including the evacuation of Gaza’s population southward and the implementation of voluntary relocation plans for Gaza residents,” while describing the new more expansive phase of Israel’s military offensive in the enclave.

He added that this would be done “through permanent Israeli control of the territory.”

Hamas said Friday that it “remains at the heart of the negotiations” and was engaging with mediators, including discussing a proposal by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff “and the various ideas on the table.”

The group said in a statement that its aim is “achieving a prisoner exchange deal that secures the release of prisoners, ends the war, and achieves withdrawal.”