More than 40,000 killed in Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says

The number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip has risen to more than 40,000, the Palestinian territory's health ministry said on Thursday.

More than 92,400 Palestinians have been injured since the war began in October 2023, the health authority, which is controlled by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, said.

The figures cannot be independently verified and do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

"Today marks a grim milestone for the world," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said, adding that most of the dead are women and children.

"This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israel Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war."

Türk said said that, on average, about 130 people have been killed every day in Gaza over the past 10 months.

He called the extent of the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship by the Israeli military "deeply shocking."

The war began after the unprecedented massacre by Hamas and other extremists groups who killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7. Around 250 people were taken hostage.

Israel's response, with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive, has been criticized given the number of civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Türk said his office has recorded violations of international humanitarian law by both Israeli forces and armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas.