GAZA CITY: The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Thursday that at least 43,204 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in the ongoing Israeli bombardment since October 7, 2023. The toll includes 41 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli bombardment has also injured over 101,641 people since the Hamas attack on Israel last year.
At least 30 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, mainly in the north, where an Israeli strike hit a hospital, setting medical supplies ablaze and halting services.
Health officials condemned the bombing of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the largest medical center in the region, which suffered extensive damage to its third floor. “The ministry appeals to all international and UN bodies and organizations to protect hospitals and medical staff from the brutality of the occupation,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated, with the UN’s food agencies warning of a potential famine. The World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization highlighted Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and Haiti as “hunger hotspots” requiring urgent intervention from November 2024 to May 2025.
Gaza’s population, already reeling from the conflict, faces extreme hunger, with 41% expected to be at “emergency” levels of food insecurity, while 345,000 may experience “catastrophic” hunger, according to UN projections.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also warned of the long-term economic toll of the conflict. Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan are expected to require decades to rebuild and recover, with the IMF predicting lasting economic setbacks.
“The damage caused by these conflicts will leave lasting scars at their epicenters for decades,” the IMF stated in a recent report downgrading growth forecasts for these regions.
