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Gaza Death Toll Exceeds 40,000 Amid Ongoing Crisis

August 16, 2024
Gazans displaced by the Israeli offensive, photographed in the town of Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on July 4, 2024. Photo credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP.

Since the start of the war in Gaza on 7 October, the death toll of Palestinians has surpassed 40,000 according to local health authorities, representing an overwhelming figure that represents around two percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population. The number of deaths does not fully capture the broader scope of suffering in Gaza. Many Palestinians are dying from extreme heat, severe thirst, starvation, and disease—all exacerbated by the crippling blockade—not only due to Israeli attacks. “This number, 40,000, includes only bodies that were received and buried,” said Marwan al-Hams, the director of field hospitals at the Palestinian Ministry of Health. “New procedures are being tested to include those who are missing or known to be under the rubble on the list of the dead, but they have not yet been approved.” According to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, the number of deaths has passed a “dark milestone for the entire world.” “On average, about 130 people have been killed daily in Gaza over the past ten months. The scale of destruction to homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship caused by the Israeli military…


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