Tensions remain high as Gaza death toll surpasses 40,000
People gather near the remains of a car at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 14, 2024. PHOTO | REUTERS
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the current round of Israeli-Hamas conflict began on Oct. 7 has surpassed 40,000, Gaza-based health authorities confirmed on Thursday.
With an additional 40 people killed over the past 24 hours, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 40,005. The tragic milestone comes as the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered its 10th month, while the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave has been worsening.
So far, about 305 square kilometers, or nearly 84 percent of the Gaza Strip, have been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to an update released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Monday.
