The bloodiest ever Gaza war started with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized about 250 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza although the army says 42 are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,718 people, also mostly civilians, Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry said.
The deaths include 10 members of Qatar-based Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh’s family, including his sister, who Palestinian officials said were killed on Tuesday.
The war has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory, with hospitals struggling to function, and food and other essentials hard to come by.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, warned Tuesday of the war’s dire impact on children.
“We have every day 10 children who are losing one leg or two legs on average,” Lazzarini told reporters, adding “that means around 2,000 children after the more than 260 days of this brutal war”.
In Cyprus, USAID officials said just 1,000 tonnes of the 7,000 tonnes of aid shipped to Gaza had been distributed because of looting and security problems.
