Palestinians wait for food at a distribution point in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
Women and children make up more than half of the dead.
It’s a grim milestone in the Israeli war that began in October 2023, and shows no sign of ending.
The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war, and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics.
The death toll of the Health Ministry in Gaza, staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records from previous Israeli wars, has largely aligned with those of independent experts and the UN figures.
Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90% of its population, and in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah.
A 2½-month blockade imposed by Israel when it ended a ceasefire raised fears of famine and was slightly eased in May. The launch of a new Israeli- and U.S.-backed aid system has been marred by chaos and deadly Israeli shooting of Palestinians seeking food. The U.N. says it has struggled to bring in food because of Israeli restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting.
Israel’s war on Gaza, one of the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, has transformed large parts of the cities into mounds of rubble. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and unused schools, and the health system has been gutted, even as it copes with waves of wounded from Israeli strikes.
Hamas has said it will release the remaining 55 Israeli captives in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
It has also offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying that Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of captives. He has vowed to continue, adding new goals as Hamas' disarmament and exile.
Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza indefinitely after the expulsion of its Palestinian population in what he refers to as the "voluntary emigration" to other countries.
The Palestinians, along with the international community, reject such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that violates international law.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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