Hamas health ministry says death toll passes 7,000 in Gaza war
AFP :
The Hamas-run health ministry said Thursday that at least 7,028 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes since the militant group’s October 7 attacks on Israel.
Some 2,913 children and 1,709 women are among the dead — marking the highest number of war fatalities in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the territory in 2005.
The reported death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 7,000, the territory’s health officials say.
Asked Wednesday about the reported death toll, President Biden responded that he had “no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed.”
“The Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they’re focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel,” he said, adding that “it’s against their interest when that doesn’t happen.”
Israel carried out a “targeted raid” in northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the most extensive use of Israeli tanks in Gaza since its war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas began earlier this month.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the incursion was made “in preparation for the next stages of war.”
An IDF spokesperson said the raid involved a number of tanks and troops and “eliminated terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure.”
The tanks have since exited Gaza, and there were no Israeli casualties, the IDF said.
Israel has increased the intensity of its attacks on the Hamas-run territory over the last few days, with hundreds of airstrikes each night, as Gaza’s lack of fuel reaches a crisis point.
Sixty-two aid trucks have entered Gaza since last weekend, carrying much-needed food, water and medical supplies.
But none have delivered fuel, which Israel has blocked over concerns it could be stolen and used by Hamas.
As a result, aid groups have escalated their warnings.
UNRWA, the United Nations agency that provides relief to Palestinians, says it could run out of fuel within a day.
