Gaza death toll surpasses 45,000 as Israeli offensive continues

As Israeli forces continue to carry out air and ground attacks in Gaza, authorities in the enclave say the death toll in the 14-month war has now surpassed 45,000.

With Palestinians constantly ordered by the Israelis to move from one area of the Gaza Strip to another, even the designated humanitarian zones are not safe.

The lack of aid access has had a devastating impact on the population, leaving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip lamented the bloodshed and loss of lives.

Osama Lubbad, a displaced resident from Beit Lahiya, asks what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “want more from the blood of the Palestinian people”.

“I mean 45,000 martyrs, in addition to the people who are still under the rubble. Buried under rubble and their bodies decomposed. What does he want? We tell the world this is enough. Enough with this genocide and enough with this war,” he said.

Officials say at least 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war.

But the real death toll is likely to be much higher as thousands of bodies are still buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.

The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

Israel’s military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths saying the group operates from within civilian areas in the densely populated enclave.

The Israeli campaign began following a Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250.

Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a ceasefire last year.

The Israeli offensive has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and left much of the enclave in ruins, with families struggling to find food and shelter.

“There is a lot of killing, a lot of death, and a lot of victims. We are not at fault. We did not do any wrong for this to happen to us,” said Alaa Hamouda.

“When will the war end? After they get rid of all the people? What do they want from us? Innocent people are dying who are not connected to what  is happening, children, women, babies.”

Rights groups and Palestinians say Israel has failed to take sufficient precautions to avoid civilian deaths.

The latest war has been by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“Gaza has died. It has died without a shroud,” said Mohammad Sulaiman, who was displaced from Gaza City.