Gaza officials say the death toll exceeds 44,000

Health officials in the Gaza Strip announced Thursday the death toll from the 13 month war between Israel and Hamas exceeded 44,000.

Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its numbers, but said more than half of the deaths were women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Meanwhile, a rocket fired from Lebanon killed one man and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday, according to Israel’s main ambulance service.

The Magen David Adom rescue service said paramedics found the body of the 30-year-old man near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday.

Israel launched its war against Hamas after Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the others were released during last year’s ceasefire.

The Israeli Offensive caused heavy destruction across large swaths of coastal territory and displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

Israel also launched airstrikes against Lebanon after militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and rockets into Israel the day after the Hamas attack last October. Full-scale war broke out in September after nearly a year of low-level conflict.

More than 3,500 people were killed in Lebanonaccording to the country’s Ministry of Health, and over 1 million people were displaced. It is not known how many of those killed were Hezbollah fighters and how many were civilians.

On the Israeli side, Hezbollah airstrikes have killed more than 70 people and driven an estimated 60,000 from their homes.

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International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas officials

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Gaza war and the October 2023 attacks that triggered the offensive Israel in Palestine. territory.

The decision makes Netanyahu and the others international wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the 13-month conflict.

But its practical implications could be limited because Israel and its main ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several Hamas officials were later killed in the conflict.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have previously condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants as shameful and anti-Semitic. US President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also criticized the request.

The death toll in Gaza exceeds 44,000, local officials say

The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13 month war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said Thursday.

The Ministry of Health said 44,056 people had been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. The real toll is said to be higher, as thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas where medics cannot access.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians. and kidnapping another 250. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the others were released during last year’s ceasefire.

About 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people has been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services.

Israel says it is trying to avoid injuring civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers and other military infrastructure.

A rocket from Lebanon kills 1 and injures 2 in northern Israel

A rocket fired from Lebanon killed one man and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

The service said paramedics found the body of the 30-year-old man near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Israel hit targets in southern Lebanon and several buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, after warning people to evacuate.