Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 60,000 - local authority

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 60,000 after almost 22 months of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, local authorities said on Tuesday.

A total of 60,034 people have been killed, and another 145,870 wounded, the health authority said in a statement.

The majority of the victims are said to be women, minors and elderly people, according to the authority.

Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza following the unprecedented Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed in the massacre and more than 250 abducted to Gaza.

While the majority of the hostages have since been released as part of a number of short-lived ceasefire agreements, some 50 abductees are still in the Strip, with 20 still believed to be alive, according to Israel.

Israel's campaign, the stated aim of which is to eliminate Hamas and free the hostages, has reduced much of the sealed-off coastal territory to rubble, with some 90% of the approximately 2 million Gazans displaced at least once amid the fighting, according to aid organizations.

Gaza's civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, mosques and businesses has been largely destroyed. Meanwhile, Israel faces accusations of deliberately starving Gazans after it severely limited the influx of aid in March.

Hundreds of lorries carrying aid have been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip since Sunday, as Israel appears to have relented to an international outcry sparked by the deepening humanitarian crisis in the territory.