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| Civil defence crews on Monday removed a child from the remains of a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Credit: Yousef Masoud for the new york times |
In just under a month, Israeli strikes have killed over 10,000 people in Gaza and injured over 25,000 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The soaring death toll from Israel's bombardment includes more than 4,100 children, according to the ministry, which operates under the political arm of Hamas. The Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, acknowledged that "we know the numbers are in the thousands." The Health Ministry's figures could not be independently verified, but a Pentagon spokesman acknowledged that "we know the numbers are in the thousands."
Last month, President Biden cast doubt on death toll numbers coming from the Health Ministry, without offering an explanation. However, its statistics were considered credible enough for the U.S. State Department to cite them in a report released this year that covered previous conflicts. After Biden's remarks, the Health Ministry released a list with the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of all those it counted in its death toll, except for 281 whose remains were unidentifiable.
The grim update on civilian deaths came as Gaza emerged from a third communications blackout, which coincided with heavy Israeli attacks. The head of the United Nations, Secretary General António Guterres, urged an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, painting a dire picture of Gaza becoming a graveyard for children. The Israeli Air Force dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip in the first days of its strikes.
