More than 40,000 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its attack on the enclave, the health ministry stated on Thursday (August 15th) in a conflict now in its 10th month.
The ministry said 40 people had died in Gaza during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths since October 7 to 40,005 – about one in every 55 people in the enclave which has a population of just over 2.1 million.
As the number of Palestinians killed passed the dark milestone, UN rights chief Volker Türk called for an end to the killing ‘once and for all’ while negotiators prepared to meet in Qatar to renew efforts for a ceasefire.
‘Most of the dead are women and children. This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war,’ the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.
‘On average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months,’ Mr. Türk continued, before describing the ‘scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship [as] deeply shocking.’
Gaza Devastation
The milestone news follows an especially deadly weekend for those in the Strip. At least 93 people were killed overnight into Saturday when an Israeli strike hit a school and mosque in the eastern part of Gaza City where displaced people were sheltering, according to local officials.
United Nations agencies that operate in the territory have said the casualty figures are credible and they are frequently cited by international organisations.
Satellite image analysis conducted by experts Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek suggests that nearly 60 per cent of buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war.
The analysis compares images to reveal sudden changes in the height or structure of buildings, indicating significant damage.
Rafah has experienced the highest rise in damaged buildings since March. The majority of this destruction has occurred since Israel launched an offensive on the city on May 6. Israeli military officials maintain that taking control of Rafah and eliminating remaining Hamas forces is crucial to achieving their war objectives.
Relentless Attacks
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of areas in southern and central Gaza previously designated as humanitarian safe zones.
Tens of thousands of people seeking refuge from the fighting have been advised to leave the area north of Khan Younis and eastern Deir Al-Balah.
Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times since the start of the Israeli campaign in Gaza. Israel has also repeatedly struck areas designated as humanitarian safe zones, leading to hundreds of casualties.
Israel accuses Hamas and other militant groups of deliberately basing fighters in civilian areas, a charge Hamas and international humanitarian agencies, such as the UN, deny.
Negotiators in Doha are due to meet for a second day of talks, aiming to halt the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages.
