Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The health ministry in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Hamas Movement, said on April 19 that at least 34,012 people were killed in the Palestinian enclave during the past six months as a result of the war waged by Israel.
More than 76,833 others have been wounded since the war first broke out after October 7 the Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel, the ministry said in a statement. Most of the casualties are reportedly women and children.
According to the ministry, the toll includes at least 42 deaths over the past 24 hours. During the same period, 63 others were wounded.
In addition to the high number of casualties, the Israeli war, now in its 195th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the Strip’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.
In recent months, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from most of the areas it invaded in the northern and southern parts of Gaza. Nevertheless, it continues to maintain a large presence in the central part, where its troops split the Strip in half.
The IDF has lost 260 soldiers and officers since the start of ground operations in Gaza. The exact number of Israeli troops wounded during these operations remains unknown, but it is reported to be way above 1,560.
Israel is yet to achieve any of the objects it launched the war for. Hamas is still in charge in Gaza, around a hundred Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks are yet to be freed and rockets are still being fired from the Strip every few days.
Despite the heavy human cost and the lack of any achievement, Israel is still determined to go on with its war against Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza.
The IDF is reportedly still preparing to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, where more than 1,5 million Palestinians have been taking shelters. Israel is facing pressure over the planned operation, including from allies like the United States. However, the pressure may be not enough to cancel the operation.
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