More than 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel since start of war: Local authorities

Israeli forces have killed at least 40,005 Palestinians in the besieged enclave since 7 October, the ministry said.

More than 92,401 others have been wounded, it added.

The latest death toll comes after 40 Palestinians were killed and 107 were wounded by Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours.

“Over ten months of hell, people continue to lose their loved ones; family members, close friends and neighbours. Do you know what it means to lose 40,000 of your people?” stated Fikr Shalltoot at Medical Aid for Palestinians.

“It means that 40,000 women, children, young people, adults, and elderly people will no longer be there. The children will never grow up, they will never go to school or university. Women will not give birth and will not be there to hold their children.”

The health ministry announced on Thursday that around 13,200 of those killed were children, while around 7,360 were women. Elderly victims made up around 3,440 of those killed, it added.

A health ministry official told Al Jazeera: “I say to those who doubt the numbers of martyrs that every martyr has a name, a picture and a story.”

An estimated 10,000 people are missing in Gaza, likely to be dead and buried under rubble.

“Many people are losing hope and some are losing faith, but mostly people are losing trust in the international community. They are angry and disappointed and believe that the world has failed them and let them down,” Shalltoot added.

On 7 October, a Hamas-led surprise attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 Israelis. More than 250 others were taken captive back to the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli forces have also killed at least 632 Palestinians since the war began, according to the health ministry. That figure includes 147 children and nine women.

In Lebanon, Israeli attacks since October have killed nearly 550 people, including 35 women and 20 children and teenagers, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.