Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza

Gaza, Nov 30: The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Saturday announced that more than 70,000 people have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began over two years ago. The grim milestone comes even as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire largely holds, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms.

According to the ministry, the overall death toll has now reached 70,100, including 354 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began on October 10. The ministry added that two bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals in the past 48 hours, one recovered from beneath rubble. It clarified that the sudden rise in the death count includes data from 299 bodies that were recently processed and officially approved by authorities.

Despite the ceasefire, Gaza continues to reel under a severe humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food, medical supplies, and shelter affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which left 1,221 people dead. Militants abducted 251 individuals into Gaza during the initial assault. At the start of the current ceasefire, 20 living hostages and 28 bodies of deceased captives were still held in Gaza.

Hamas has since released all surviving hostages and repatriated the remains of 26 deceased captives. In return, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and handed over the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians as part of the ongoing ceasefire terms.

As the region awaits a more lasting peace, humanitarian agencies warn that Gaza’s suffering remains far from over even with the guns temporarily silent.