Death toll in Gaza rises to 52,000, territory’s health ministry says, as Israel continues offensive

Palestinian officials said the war in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 people, as Israel continues its renewed offensive on the territory after ending its ceasefire with Hamas in March. 

The overall toll of 52,243 includes nearly 700 bodies for which the documentation process was recently completed, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its latest update. It comes after the hospitals in the Gaza Strip received the remains of 51 Palestinians over the past 24 hours, who were killed in Israeli strikes.

Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise bombardment on the territory on March 18 and has since been carrying out daily waves of strikes. Ground forces have expanded a buffer zone and encircled the southern city of Rafah, and now control around 50% of the territory.

Israel has also sealed off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, for nearly 60 days. Aid groups say supplies will soon run out and that thousands of children are malnourished.

Palestinians are now mainly living off canned vegetables, rice, pasta and lentils. Meat, milk, cheese and fruit have disappeared. Bread and eggs are scarce. The few vegetables or other items in the market have skyrocketed in price, unaffordable for most.

“We can’t get anything that provides any protein or nutrients,” Mariam al-Najjar said.

Israeli authorities say the renewed offensive and tightened blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and all the hostages are returned.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire reached in January.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that talks with Hamas in recent days had shown the group is more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire and aims for a lasting resolution with Israel, Reuters reported.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and took 251 people hostage. Most have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says women and children make up most of the Palestinian deaths but does not say how many were militants or civilians. It says another 117,600 people have been wounded in the war.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and it blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in densely populated areas.