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Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press
Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press
Samy Magdy, Associated Press
Samy Magdy, Associated Press
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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 73,000, Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday, despite a fragile ceasefire that has been described as stalled.
Israel has continued to strike inside the territory despite the deal reached in October, saying it carries out strikes against Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce.
WATCH: How Gaza's students are still learning despite shattered schools and displacement
Confirmation of the latest Palestinian toll came from Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the ministry's records department, and Hamza Salem from the ministry's public relations department.
The number of deaths since the beginning of the war is now 73,001. On Sunday, the ministry said, there were five deaths: two in the southern city of Khan Younis and one in central Gaza, in addition to two who died of earlier wounds.
Over 173,200 people have been wounded since the start of the war, which was ignited by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel. That attack killed some 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
READ MORE: Hamas confirms that Israeli strikes killed its new military leader in Gaza City
The health ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.
Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal reached in October ended full-scale military operations and led to the return of all the remaining hostages.
But other elements of the deal have stalled as Hamas has refused to disarm and Israeli troops have advanced in Gaza, rather than withdrawn. Both sides accuse the other of violating the agreement but say it is still in effect.
READ MORE: Board of Peace envoy Mladenov says ceasefire hinges on Hamas' disarmament
Progress on all other issues — including reconstruction, Israeli troop withdrawals and the establishment of a new Palestinian government — is being held up by the deadlock over disarming Hamas, the top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, has said.
The war displaced most of the Palestinian population of over 2 million, left large parts of the territory in rubble and created widespread shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies as the border crossings with Gaza — all but one controlled by Israel — slammed shut.
Magdy reported from Cairo.
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<small>Source: PBS NewsHour</small>
