Gaza: The death toll in Gaza has crossed 70,000 since the conflict erupted in 2023, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry on Saturday. The count has continued to rise even after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10. Officials said the current toll has reached 70,100.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an assault on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Over the past two years, nearly all hostages or their remains have been returned through negotiated exchanges or during temporary truces.
In the latest incident, a hospital in southern Gaza reported the deaths of two young brothers, aged 8 and 11, who were killed when an Israeli drone strike hit near a school sheltering displaced families in Beni Suheila. Medical staff at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital said the children were brought in dead after the attack.
The Israeli military said it had targeted two individuals who crossed into an Israeli-controlled zone, carried out “suspicious activities,” and approached troops. The statement did not mention children and added that another person was killed in a separate incident under similar circumstances.
Despite the ceasefire, violence continues across the Gaza Strip. The health ministry said at least 352 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began. Israel has denied violating the agreement, insisting its operations are aimed only at militants accused of breaching the terms of the ceasefire.
Hamas, meanwhile, has renewed calls for mediators to pressure Israel to stop what it describes as repeated ceasefire violations. The Israel Defense Forces said its troops opened fire after individuals crossed the “yellow line,” the position Israeli forces withdrew to under the ceasefire deal reached more than seven weeks ago.
