The war began when Hamas-led fighters burst into southern Israel on Oct 7, killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages, including civilians and soldiers, back into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s air, ground and naval counteroffensive has so far killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the heavily built-up coastal enclave in ruins.
The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, but officials say most the dead are civilians. Israel has lost 316 soldiers in Gaza and says at least a third of the Palestinian dead are fighters.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS STALLED
Arab mediators’ efforts to secure a ceasefire, backed by the United States, have stalled. Hamas says any deal must end the war and bring a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel says it will accept only temporary pauses in the fighting until Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, is eradicated.
Israeli authorities released 54 Palestinians it had detained during the war, Palestinian border officials said.
Among them was Mohammad Abu Selmeyah, the director of Al Shifa Hospital, arrested by the military when its forces first stormed the medical facility in November.
