Palestinian death toll surpasses 40K in Gaza, health officials say

More than 40,000 Palestinians have died in the Israel-Hamas war, the territory’s Health Ministry announced Thursday, as the conflict pushes into its 11th month.

In a report, the Health Ministry said 40,005 people have been killed since early October, The Associated Press reported. The ministry, which works under the government led by Hamas, does not distinguish between civilians and militants, and health officials said the actual toll could be thousands of people higher, as bodies remain buried under the rubble from airstrikes.

An estimated 92,401 people have been injured in Gaza, the Health Ministry reportedly added.

The numbers come as international leaders push for a cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

President Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a joint statement last week cementing this push, saying there is “no further time to waste nor excuses” from either side.

Hamas leadership said earlier this week it will not attend negotiations expected to continue Thursday, and urged the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to show how they can implement last month’s proposal “instead of going to more rounds of negotiations or new proposals that provide cover for the occupation’s aggression.”

The group’s statement came after an Israeli strike hit a school in Gaza over the weekend, killing about 100 people.

The war has raged on for more than 11 months since Hamas’s Oct. 7 surprise assault that killed about 1,200 people. Hamas, recognized as a terrorist group by the U.S. government, also kidnapped about 250 people, bringing them to Gaza as hostages.

About 105 of the hostages were released in a brief November truce, and Israel claims 111 hostages have not been released, including the bodies of 39 people. The hostages include 15 women and two children under the age of 5, the AP reported.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced out of their Gaza homes, equal to nearly 85 percent of the territory’s 2.3 million population, according to the AP, in the wake of ground offensives.

They have been forced into shelters, where humanitarian aid is low in supply. The entire territory is at risk of famine, and more than 495,000 people are expected to face the most severe level of hunger in the coming months, the AP added.

Israel has pushed forward with its military campaign, stating its goal is to eliminate Hamas, and pins the civilian deaths on the militant group’s operations in civilian areas and extensive underground tunnels.

Biden insisted earlier Sunday that the cease-fire proposal is “still viable,” despite some pushback from Israeli leaders. 

“The plan I put together endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the … U.N. Security Council, etc., is still viable,” Biden said in a “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview. “And I’m working literally every single day to — and my whole team, to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can.” 

The Associated Press contributed.