Palestinian Deaths Exceed 64,000 in Ongoing Gaza War/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Palestinian officials say more than 64,000 people have died in Gaza since the 2023 Hamas-led attack and ensuing Israeli war. Hamas demands a ceasefire and prisoner swaps, while Israel insists on continued military control. Meanwhile, tensions spread as settlers establish a new outpost in Hebron.
Gaza War Death Toll Surpasses 64,000 Quick Looks
- Gaza Health Ministry reports 64,231 deaths since October 2023.
- Overnight Israeli strikes killed 28 people, including nine children.
- Hamas offers to release remaining hostages in exchange for ceasefire, prisoner swap, and withdrawal.
- Israel rejects, demanding full return of hostages and Hamas disarmament.
- Talks remain stalled after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff walked away last month.
- Israeli offensive advancing toward famine-stricken Gaza City.
- Shifa Hospital received 25 bodies, including a 10-day-old baby.
- Israel says Hamas embeds militants in densely populated areas.
- New Israeli settlement established in central Hebron, West Bank.
- Peace Now calls Hebron settlement “the ugliest face of Israeli control.”
Palestinian Deaths Exceed 64,000 in Ongoing Gaza War
Deep Look
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in the nearly two-year-old Gaza war has surpassed 64,000, health officials said Thursday, as Israel and Hamas dug in on demands that remain far apart, keeping the conflict locked in stalemate.
Overnight Strikes Deepen Gaza’s Suffering
Local hospitals reported that 28 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed overnight into Thursday in a series of Israeli airstrikes. Troops are now operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, in what Israeli officials describe as the first phase of a major offensive against the enclave’s most populous area.
Shifa Hospital in Gaza City recorded 25 bodies after strikes hit tents sheltering displaced families, including nine children and six women. Among the dead was a 10-day-old infant. In southern Gaza, Nasser Hospital reported three additional fatalities.
Israel’s military declined immediate comment but has repeatedly stated it targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas’ presence in urban areas.
Death Toll Rises Past 64,000
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 64,231 Palestinians have been confirmed dead since the war began. The latest update added about 400 names previously listed as missing. The ministry says women and children account for roughly half of all deaths, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
The Health Ministry operates under the Hamas-run government, but its figures are widely regarded as credible by the United Nations and independent humanitarian groups. Israel disputes the numbers but has not released an alternative tally.
Hamas, Israel Clash Over Conditions
Hamas announced it would release all 48 remaining hostages—about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive—if Israel agrees to a package deal:
- A lasting ceasefire
- Full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza
- Reopening border crossings
- Launch of international-backed reconstruction efforts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the proposal as “spin,” reiterating that the war will not end until:
- All hostages are returned
- Hamas is disarmed
- Israel retains security control over Gaza
Last month, talks for a temporary ceasefire collapsed after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff withdrew, blaming Hamas. Mediators later said Hamas had accepted terms nearly identical to those Israel had previously agreed to, but negotiations remain frozen.
Origins of the War
The war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault, when militants stormed southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 others. Some hostages have since been freed during pauses in fighting.
New Settlement Sparks West Bank Tensions
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, settlement watchdog Peace Now reported that Israeli settlers established a new settlement in Hebron, seizing a building along a main route into the Old City.
The group condemned the move as a deliberate attempt to push Palestinians out of central Hebron, where several hundred settlers already live under heavy Israeli military protection.
“The settlement in Hebron is the ugliest face of Israeli control in the territories. Nowhere else in the West Bank is apartheid so blatant,” Peace Now said.
Hebron, home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, is sacred to both Jews and Muslims and has long been a flashpoint of violence.
Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians claim all three territories for a future state, a vision supported by most of the international community, which deems settlements illegal under international law.
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