DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) 鈥� The death toll in the Gaza Strip from between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said Thursday.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. It has said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, . Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year.
In Lebanon, the death toll from Israeli strikes and combat has surpassed 3,580 people, with more than 15,000 wounded, according to Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry. At least 51 people were killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on towns and villages across Lebanon.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza across wide areas of the coastal territory, leading many to wonder Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services.
Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers and other military infrastructure.
Palestinian officials and rights groups accuse Israeli forces of , and the United Nations鈥� top court is . The Israeli government adamantly denies the allegations, accusing critics of being biased against it.
In recent weeks, the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has plummeted, prompting the United States to threaten to reduce its military support for Israel , citing limited progress. Experts have warned that isolated, war-ravaged northern Gaza .
The United States, Egypt and Qatar spent months trying to broker a cease-fire agreement in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war. Those talks , with Israel and Hamas each accusing the other of making unacceptable demands.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump without saying how. His previous administration gave unprecedented support to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 hard-line policies toward the Palestinians.
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Khaled reported from Cairo.
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Find more of AP鈥檚 war coverage at
Wafaa Shurafa And Fatma Khaled, The Associated Press
