Death toll from Israel’s war against Hamas has climbed to 25,000, the Palestinian health ministry has announced. Meanwhile, the UN chief decried the civilian killings calling them “heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable”.
Most of the Palestinians killed by Israeli bombing were women and children, the health ministry said, adding that thousands of bodies will probably remain uncounted under rubble across Gaza.
Key Facts
- 25,105 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7
- An estimated 70% of those killed in Gaza were women and children
- 62,681 have been wounded
- 178 Palestinians were killed in past 24 hours
- 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced
178 Palestinians killed in Gaza in last 24 hours
At least 178 more Palestinians were brought dead to Gaza’s hospitals over the past 24 hours, Ashraf al-Qidra, a health ministry spokesperson told the media. The hospitals also received around 300 wounded people, he added.
The dead and injured “could not be transferred to hospitals because of the continued artillery shelling on … Khan Younis and the Tal al-Hawa area in Gaza City and the north,” the Hamas government’s media office said.
Thick plumes of smoke were recorded above Khan Younis on Sunday morning as the Israeli defense forces claimed to have eliminated several terrorists there.
Renewed fighting in the north has also been reported. The Israeli military is struggling to clear of Hamas fighters in the north, who reportedly use a tunnel network to launch surprise attacks on Israeli troops.
Israel started the war against Hamas following the October 7 attack in which Hamas fighters killed 1,300 people in southern Israel and took around 240 Israelis hostage.
UN chief decries ‘unacceptable’ scale of Gaza
Speaking at a global summit in Kampala, Ugandan, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, decried Israel’s three-month assault against Palestinians.
“Israel’s military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at the opening of the G77+China, a coalition of 135 developing countries.
“This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable. The Middle East is a tinderbox. We must do all we can to prevent conflict from igniting across the region.”
The UN secretary general said Netanyahu’s refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians was completely unacceptable. Denying Palestinians the right to statehood “would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security,” Guterres added.
100 days of death, destruction and displacement in Gaza
Protests have erupted around the world calling for an end to the war as Israel’s war in Gaza marked 100 days, becoming the longest and deadliest conflict between Israel and Palestinians since Israel’s establishment in 1948.
The bombing continues. Inside Gaza, the 100-day milestone marks 14 weeks of relentless attacks from Israeli forces by land, air and sea.
“The massive death, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss, and grief of the last 100 days are staining our shared humanity. It’s been 100 days since the devastating war started, killing and displacing people in Gaza, following the horrific attacks that Hamas and other groups carried out against people in Israel. It’s been 100 days of ordeal and anxiety for hostages and their families,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.
“This war affected more than 2 million people – the entire population of Gaza. Many will carry lifelong scars, both physical and psychological. The vast majority, including children, are deeply traumatized,” he said. “The plight of children in Gaza is especially heartbreaking. An entire generation of children is traumatized and will take years to heal. Thousands have been killed, maimed, and orphaned.”