Gaza war has killed more than 74,000
The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016 people, with 175,068 wounded.
The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.
Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. It maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half the toll.
Gaza ‘blood’ in polls
Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, in Doha, Qatar, the leader of Hamas brushed aside the possibility of change from Israel’s upcoming election in an interview on Saturday, saying he expected Israelis to campaign off Gaza’s “blood.”
“Whether this or that person comes to power, or this party or another—our people have suffered at the hands of all Israeli parties,” Khalil al-Hayya told the Qatari station Al-Araby.
“We absolutely refuse to allow the blood, suffering, and cause of the Palestinian people to serve as fuel for Israeli elections. What matters to us is that our people achieve their goals, aspirations and legitimate rights.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight contest as he seeks to stay in power in the Oct. 27 elections.
The Israeli premier has vowed in the run-up to the vote not to withdraw troops from Gaza and rejected a US-led peace initiative in which Hamas said it would surrender weapons, a promise Israel views with skepticism.
The vote is the first since Hamas led the deadliest ever attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
