Jerusalem: More than 27,000 people have been killed and 66,000 wounded by Israel’s offensive in Gaza, the Hamas-controlled territory’s Health Ministry said Thursday.
South Africa’s foreign minister has accused Israel of ignoring last week’s ruling by the United Nations’ top court, which ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent deaths in Gaza.
The number of deaths has grown by more than 1,100 since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague told Israel to do its best to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel denies the genocide accusations brought against it at the court by South Africa.
The Health Ministry said 27,019 Palestinians have been killed and 66,139 wounded since October 7. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths but says most of those killed were women and children.
The violence in Gaza continues to spill over into neighbouring countries. Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two ballistic missiles on Thursday at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea, a US defense official said, the latest attack by the rebels as America launches air strikes against them. Israel’s offensive was prompted by Hamas’ October 7 attack in southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Explosion strikes near vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen as Houthi rebel attacks continue.
Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither wants, but many fear it’s becoming inevitable.
UN agencies rally around the agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza as some top donors cut funding.
South Africa says Israel is already ignoring a UN court ruling ordering it to prevent deaths in Gaza.
Chicago becomes the latest US city to approve a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war. The toll from Israel’s nearly 4-month offensive in Gaza surpassed 27,000 Palestinians killed and more than 66,000 wounded, the territory’s Health Ministry said Thursday. The number of deaths has grown by more than 1,100 since the International Court of Justice in The Hague a week ago ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent deaths, destruction and any acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel denies the genocide accusations brought against it at the court by South Africa and says it is fighting to destroy Gaza’s Hamas rulers after the militants’ October 7 attack on southern Israel. The case before the court is likely to take years before a final ruling.
The ministry said 27,019 Palestinians have been killed and 66,139 wounded since October 7. It did not specify the number of women and children among the dead, but in previous counts they have constituted up to two-thirds of the toll. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants in the war, without providing the basis for its count.
The war was sparked when hundreds of Palestinian militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 people hostage.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two ballistic missiles Thursday at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea, a US defense official said.