More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, know how many are injured

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Deir al-Balah: More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The region’s health ministry gave this information on Thursday. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that 92,401 people have been injured in the Israeli attack in the area and more than 85 percent of the population has been displaced from their homes. It is worth noting that the Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militant fighters in counting the number of dead. This announcement has been made during another attempt by international mediators to ceasefire in the war. 

This is how the war started

The war, which has now entered its 11th month, began on October 7, 2017, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people (most of them civilians) and taking about 250 hostages to Gaza. Israel says 111 hostages have not been released, including 39 who died. The hostages included 15 women and two children under the age of five. 

Bodies are buried in the rubble

The ministry said on Thursday in its latest detailed report on the death toll that 40,005 people had been killed. Health officials and civil defence workers say the real number is likely in the thousands, as many bodies remain buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in air strikes. Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history.

Israel Hamas War

Image Source : FILE AP
Israel Hamas War

 

The goal is to eliminate Hamas 

Israel says its goal is to destroy Hamas. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths. According to Israel, militants live and operate in civilian areas and have built extensive tunnel networks underneath them. The Israeli military regularly targets mosques, schools, hospitals and cemeteries where it claims fighters or tunnels are located. 

Threat of famine

Israeli attacks often result in civilian casualties. 329 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in this war. The Israeli army claims that about 15,000 Hamas fighters are among those killed in Gaza, but it has not provided any evidence to support this. About 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, often fleeing around the region to escape ground attacks. Thousands of people have also been displaced within Israel and in southern Lebanon during the war. This attack has created a widespread humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the latest report by a leading authority assessing hunger, the risk of famine is high across the region and it is feared that more than 495,000 people could experience the most severe level of hunger in the next few months.