The number of Palestinians killed in the 20-month conflict between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 55,000, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but notes that women and children make up more than half of the dead.
It is a sad mark in a conflict that began with the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and shows no signs of ending.
Israel says its strikes are aimed solely at militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying the terrorists hide among civilians and operate in densely populated areas.
According to the ministry, 55,104 people have been killed and 127,394 injured since the conflict began. Many more are believed to be trapped under rubble or in areas inaccessible to local medical workers.
Israeli forces have destroyed vast swathes of Gaza, forcing some 90% of its population to flee their homes, and in recent weeks have turned much of the coastal area into a military buffer zone, including the virtually uninhabited southern city of Rafah.
The two-and-a-half-month blockade imposed by Israel following a ceasefire with Hamas has raised fears of famine and was eased slightly in May.
The launch of a new humanitarian programme backed by Israel and the US has been marred by unrest and violence, with the UN saying it has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions, lack of order and widespread looting.
Israel accuses Hamas of misappropriating humanitarian aid, but the UN and humanitarian organizations deny that aid is systematically diverted to militants.
Hamas has suffered significant military losses, and Israel claims to have killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Militants continue to hold 55 hostages (less than half of whom are believed to be alive) and control territory outside war zones, despite rare protests earlier this year.
The conflict began when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an attack on October 7 and took 251 hostages.
More than half of those captured were released as a result of ceasefires or other agreements. Israeli forces freed eight people and found the remains of dozens more.
Israel's military operation, one of the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, has reduced large parts of the city to rubble.
Hundreds of thousands of people live in unsanitary tent camps and abandoned schools, and the health care system
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
