Gaza City: Health Ministry Reports Rising Toll Amid Fragile Ceasefire
The health ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, announced on Saturday that over 70,000 people have lost their lives since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began more than two years ago.
This grim milestone comes as a delicate ceasefire, brokered by the United States, continues to hold, though both sides are accusing each other of breaking the agreement. The ministry disclosed that the current death toll has reached 70,100.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 354 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to the ministry’s report. In the last 48 hours alone, two bodies arrived at hospitals in Gaza, one of which was retrieved from under rubble.
The increase in the death toll comes from updated data, which includes the processing and approval of information related to 299 bodies.
Despite the ceasefire, Gaza continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis. At the beginning of the recent ceasefire, Hamas was holding 20 living hostages and had 28 bodies of deceased captives. Since then, all living hostages have been released, along with the remains of 26 deceased individuals.
In return, Israel has let go of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and has returned hundreds of deceased Palestinians’ bodies.
