The recent surge in violence between Israel and Gaza has led to the death toll surpassing 50,000 since October 7th, 2023. This is a significant increase from previous estimates of casualties caused by Israel's bombing campaign and ground invasion following Hamas' terror attack. The conflict has resulted in more than 2.1% of the population living in Gaza being killed, with many additional victims still unaccounted for due to their locations being inaccessible to emergency services.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that these numbers provided by Palestinian health officials are reliable and accurate. This grim milestone comes over 18 months after Hamas launched a series of surprise attacks on Israel, which resulted in the death of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of another 240 individuals by militant groups affiliated with Hamas.
Last week, Israel broke its two-month ceasefire agreement with Hamas, resuming airstrikes and ground operations that have killed nearly 700 more people in Gaza. In response to this escalation of violence, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas returns the remaining hostages they are holding captive. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to intensifying these operations until all hostages are returned safely.
Katz also hinted at using "all military and civilian pressure tools" against Gaza, including evacuating its population southward and implementing voluntary relocation plans for residents. This suggests that the conflict may continue to escalate in both intensity and scope unless a peaceful resolution can be reached between Israel and Hamas.
[Original Article](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/death-toll-gaza-surpassed-50000-health-officials-rcna197658) #death #toll [Visit GhostAI](https://ghostai.pro/)
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