Gaza health ministry reports soaring death toll as Israel-Palestine conflict nears 12 months

The Gaza Ministry of Health has announced that the death toll in the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militants has surpassed 40,861, with 42 additional fatalities reported in the past 24 hours.

It added that since the conflict began on October 7, a total of 94,398 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel has continued its military offensive in Gaza, leading to severe humanitarian shortages, including food, clean water, and medicine.

The region lies in ruins, with over 1 million Palestinians having sought refuge in the southern city of Rafah before it was invaded on May 6.

Israel faces allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in Rafah. The protracted conflict has sparked widespread international concern, with calls for an immediate end to the violence and a negotiated settlement.

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Meanwhile, Israeli army has warned the government that without reaching an agreement with Hamas, any large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip would threaten the lives of Israeli hostages, local media reported late Tuesday.

Israel is holding at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in its jails and estimates that 101 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza. The Palestinian group Hamas has announced that dozens of these hostages have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli air strikes.

“The IDF (army) made it clear to the political echelon (government) that without a deal (with Hamas), it must be understood that any extensive ground operation in the Gaza Strip has a meaning—risking the lives of abductees,” the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.