The New York Times
The death toll in the Gaza Strip passed a grim milestone this Thursday (29) as the Hamascontrolled local health ministry reported that more than 30,000 people have been killed in the war against Israel since October 7.
The death toll had already surpassed that of all ArabIsraeli conflicts when it passed 20,000 in December.
Many experts say the real number is likely higher because it is difficult to accurately count the number of deaths given relentless fighting, communication breakdowns, a collapsing medical system and the possibility of people trapped under rubble.
Still, the reported figure is shocking about 1 death for every 73 Palestinians living in Gaza, whose population is about 2.2 million.
The figures provided by the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Many international observers consider the number to be reliable, while the proportion of Hamasaffiliated members among the dead remains uncertain.
According to an article published in November in the British medical journal The Lancet, an analysis of mortality reports from the first few weeks by the Ministry of Health “suggested adequate quality of data” and that the deaths likely fell “among populations in Gaza that…” likely mostly civilians.”
Israel faces increasing international pressure to halt its offensive. Even US President Joe Biden, his staunchest ally, has expressed frustration over the rising death toll and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But Israeli leaders have insisted they will continue to fight to eliminate Hamas, the armed group that led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. According to authorities, at least 1,200 people were killed and another 240 taken hostage in that incident, sparking the war.
Mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar are working to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but prospects for this remain uncertain.
On Wednesday, a Hamas political leader said in a televised address that while the group was open to a deal with Israel, it was also ready to continue the fight.
He called on Palestinians to march on Jerusalem's AlAqsa Mosque complex in March, raising the prospect of renewed clashes with Israeli security forces around a site holy to Muslims and Jews.
Palestinians not only face the risk of being killed in attacks or fighting, but also live with the growing threat of hunger and disease.
The Health Ministry also says babies have died in recent days from dehydration and malnutrition. A doctor who was in Gaza in late January told CBS's “60 Minutes” this week that people were dying “in a completely treatable situation” due to the lack of basic medical care.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, said this Thursday (29) on social media that the majority of those killed in Gaza were women and children. “This terrible violence and suffering must end,” he wrote. “Stop the fire.”