Gaza's overall death toll at 52,243; hundreds of missing confirmed dead: Report
"An additional 697 martyrs have been added to the cumulative statistics after their data was completed and verified by the committee monitoring missing persons," the health ministry said in a statement, giving the overall toll of 52,243.
Also Read: 'Professional failures': Israel as probe finds military at fault over 15 medics' killing in Gaza
Several United Nations agencies that operate in Gaza have said the ministry's data is credible and they are frequently cited by international organisations.
One hospital in the Palestinian territory confirmed the data and elaborated on the process.
"The families of those initially reported missing had informed authorities of their disappearance, but their bodies were subsequently recovered -- either from beneath the rubble or from areas previously inaccessible to medical teams due to the presence of the Israeli army," said Khalil al-Daqran, spokesman for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Also Read: Qatar's chief negotiator expresses frustration at 'slowness' of Gaza peace talks
He said the ministry's release of the 697 figure came after a "judicial committee" that collects and checks data completed its documentation, "confirming their martyrdom and transferring their status from missing persons to martyrs."
When asked why such a large number was announced simultaneously, the Hamas government's Media Office in Gaza explained that statistics are released periodically.
It is not the first time the health ministry has made such a revision.
Also Read: 'Little light in a lot of sorrow': How a missing dog was reunited with Israeli family after 18 months in Gaza
"Because the judicial committee issues its report periodically rather than daily. They follow their own procedural protocols, and once their report was finalised, it was officially adopted," Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Media Office, told AFP.
With Gaza largely in ruins after more than 18 months of war, the health ministry has struggled to count the death toll.
Israel has repeatedly questioned the credibility of the daily figures put out by the ministry, criticising the Gaza authorities for failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
But neither the Israeli military nor top Israeli officials have denied the scale of the overall toll.
Earlier this year, Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce, which began on January 19, but collapsed two months later on March 18 due to disagreements over the next phase of the deal.
Since then, Israel has resumed its military campaign in Gaza, resulting in at least 2,151 additional deaths.
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Economic Times
10 hours ago
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Israeli forces kills 27 aid-seekers in Gaza as Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site
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It said Sunday's casualties brought the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 over the five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministry's count of war casualties. Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prayed at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a move swiftly condemned as a incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. At the hilltop compound in the Old City revered by Jews and Muslims, Ben Gvir called on Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave. "This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war," he said. 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Time of India
10 hours ago
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Israeli forces kills 27 aid-seekers in Gaza as Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in Gaza , according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites, as the malnutrition-related death toll also rose. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is facing famine because of Israel 's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category healthcare Healthcare Others Operations Management CXO Management MBA Project Management MCA Digital Marketing Data Analytics Finance PGDM Technology Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Leadership Public Policy Data Science others Data Science Degree Product Management Cybersecurity Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When the Camera Clicked at the Worst Possible Time Read More Undo "I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets," he said. Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital said they received bodies from routes to the sites, including eight from Teina, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the private U.S.- and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago. Live Events The hospital received one body from Shakoush, hundreds of meters (yards) north of a GHF site in Rafah. Another nine aid-seekers were killed by troops near the Morag corridor, it said. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, told The Associated Press shootings occurred on the routes to distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward troops. Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials described a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire Sunday morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to reach GHF's fourth and northernmost distribution point. "Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot," said Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers. At least five people were killed and 27 wounded near GHF's site close to Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital said. Eyewitnesses seeking food have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys. The GHF launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U.N.-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas, which guarded convoys early in the war, to siphon supplies. Israel has not offered evidence of widespread theft. The U.N. has denied it. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated Israel's military did immediately responded to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities. GHF's Media Office said there was no gunfire "near or at our sites." Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours. It said Sunday's casualties brought the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 over the five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministry's count of war casualties. Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prayed at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a move swiftly condemned as a incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. At the hilltop compound in the Old City revered by Jews and Muslims, Ben Gvir called on Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave. "This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war," he said. His visit on Sunday in honor of Tisha B'av, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of two Jewish temples at the site, was the first in which a government minister openly prayed at the site. Under the status quo, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said afterward that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned Ben Gvir's visit. Ambassador Sufian Qudah, a spokesperson for Jordan's Foreign Ministry, condemned what he called "provocative incursions by the extremist minister" and implored Israel to prevent escalation. Ben Gvir's visit took place on Tisha B'av, a day in which Jews mourn the destruction of their temples. He condemned a video that Hamas released of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David showing him emaciated in a dimly lit tunnel in Gaza. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza, triggered outrage when they released separate videos of individual hostages this week. Israeli media hasn't broadcast the videos, calling them propaganda, but Netanyahu met with the hostage families on Saturday, pledging further efforts to return them to Israel. Red Crescent Facility Shelled The Palestinian Red Crescent said the Israeli military attacked its headquarters in the southern city of Khan Younis early Sunday, killing a staffer and wounding three others. The overnight strike wrecked the organization's multi-story building, leaving its offices full of broken concrete and blood, with gaping holes in the walls and floors, according to video released by the organization. Red Crescent said the military shelled its Khan Younis facility three times between around 1 a.m. local time. Elsewhere in Khan Younis, an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced people, killing at least two, Nasser hospital said. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions about either strike. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducting another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn't provided its own account of casualties.
