Middle East latest: Gaza officials say death toll passes 44,000

Health officials in the Gaza Strip said Thursday that the death toll from the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000.

Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count, but says more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli army says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Meanwhile, a rocket fired from Lebanon killed a man and injured two others in northern Israel on Thursday, Israel’s main ambulance service said.

The Magen David Adom rescue service said paramedics found the body of the man in his 30s near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday.

Israel launched its war against Hamas after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, at least a third of whom are in Gaza. presumed dead. Most of the rest were released last year during a ceasefire.

The Israeli offensive has caused heavy destruction in large parts of the coastal area and displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

Israel has also launched airstrikes against Lebanon after the militant group Hezbollah began firing missiles, drones and rockets into Israel the day after Hamas’ attack last October. After almost a year of lower-level conflict, full-blown war broke out in September.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million have been displaced. It is not known how many of the dead were Hezbollah fighters and how many were civilians.

On the Israeli side, Hezbollah airstrikes have killed more than 70 people and displaced about 60,000 from their homes.

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Here’s the latest:

The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity following the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that hit it. Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territories. territory.

The decision makes Netanyahu and the others internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to broker a ceasefire to end the 13-month conflict.

But its practical implications could be limited as Israel and its main ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several Hamas officials have subsequently been killed in the conflict.

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have previously condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for the arrest warrants as shameful and anti-Semitic. US President Joe Biden also denounced the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also rejected the request.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said Thursday.

Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count, but says more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli army says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been killed and 104,268 injured since the start of the war. The actual toll is said to be higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas where medics cannot access.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. There are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be in Gaza. dead. Most of the rest were released last year during a ceasefire.

About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services.

Israel says it is trying to prevent harm to civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers and other military infrastructure.

A rocket fired from Lebanon killed a man and injured two others in northern Israel on Thursday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

The agency said paramedics found the body of the man in his 30s near a playground in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on Thursday.

Israel, meanwhile, attacked targets in southern Lebanon and several buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, after warning people to evacuate.