The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 30,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began.
The Gaza health ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.
It also says the actual figure is higher because there are bodies buried under the rubble and in areas that medics cannot reach.
Israeli military officials have admitted the figure for the amount of deaths is probably right, while the US State Department has also said the number could be even higher because many bodies are likely to be under rubble and unaccounted for.
The Israel Defence Force’s official estimate for the number of Hamas militants killed in the assault on Gaza is 12,000.
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The Hamas-run health ministry has given the precise total figures of 30,035 Palestinians dead and 70,457 injured in the attacks which started in October last year.
Israel’s assault on the densely populated strip is approaching the end of its fifth month amid fears that the Israel Defence Forces will launch a ground offensive against the southern city of Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is determined to destroy Hamas after the militant group killed 1,200 people and seized about 250 hostages on 7 October 2023.
Talks have been held to agree a pause in military operations in Gaza and swap Israeli hostages held in the territory for Palestinian prisoners – and it is hoped that another deal may be close.
A Palestinian woman holds her child as she stands at a house damaged in Israeli strikes in Rafah. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, health officials in the Palestinian territory said on Thursday that at least 70 people had been killed and more than 280 had been wounded in a strike on a crowd waiting for aid in Gaza City.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said it had received at least 10 bodies and 160 wounded people.
Fares Afana, the head of the ambulance service at Kamal Adwan, said medics arriving at the scene found “dozens or hundreds” lying on the ground. He said there were not enough ambulances to collect all the dead and wounded and that some were brought to hospitals on donkey carts.
Dr Mohammad Salha, acting director of the Al-Awda Hospital, said it received 90 wounded and three dead, who were transferred to Kamal Adwan.
“We expect a rise in the number killed,” he said. “There are many wounded still at the reception and the emergency room.”
He said Al-Awda is largely out of commission, with no electricity and the operating room running on battery power with only hours left. Gaza’s health sector is under severe strain nearly five months into the Israel-Hamas war.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
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Meanwhile, a senior UN official has warned that at least a quarter of Gaza’s population is one step away from famine and many children are severely malnourished.
Humanitarian coordinator Ramesh Ramasingham told the UN Security Council last night that “there is every possibility for further deterioration” in the enclave, where nearly everyone needs food.
One in six children under two in northern Gaza – which was first targeted by Israel – are suffering from “acute malnutrition and wasting”, he said.
Despite the huge number of Palestinian casualties and the humanitarian crisis, the leader of Hamas has reportedly expressed confidence that the militant group is winning its war against Israel.
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Yahya Sinwar, who has remained in hiding during the conflict, recently told senior Hamas officials in Qatar that his group “has the Israelis right where we want them”, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It comes the UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk has said war crimes have committed by both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr Turk said all suspected war crimes should be investigated and those responsible held accountable.
“Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties,” Mr Turk said.
“It is time – well past time – for peace, investigation and accountability.”