The head of the Gaza Government Information Office told a news conference that the bodies of 76 percent of the Palestinians killed in the conflict have been recovered and brought to medical centres. However, at least 14,222 people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescuers.

Speaking at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, Salama Maarouf told reporters that among the death toll are 17,881 children, including 214 newborn infants.

“More than 2 million people have been forcibly displaced, some more than 25 times, under dire conditions lacking basic services,” the official added, noting that 111,588 people have also been injured.

The updated numbers come amid the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that last month halted, at least temporarily, 15 months of genocide in the enclave, which followed the assault by Hamas on southern Israel in October 2023 that saw the armed group kill about 1,200 and take 250 people back to Gaza as captives.

The pause in fighting, set to continue until at least early March, has given room for Palestinian rescuers to reach parts of Gaza they could not reach before.

Maarouf also said the heavy toll on health, humanitarian and media workers in the enclave. At least 1,155 medical personnel, 205 journalists and 194 civil defence workers are reported to have been killed during Israel’s onslaught.

The damage done to the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s aggression since October 2023 is estimated at more than $50 billion, according to Gaza’s authorities.

“The damage done by combat operations is preliminarily estimated at more than $50 billion, the war has affected all spheres of life in Gaza,” they said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Gaza residents will have to restore not only housing, but also medical establishments, schools and universities, as well as religious facilities and utilities systems, they added.

In a press statement on Sunday, Alsalem stressed that Israel’s attacks on Palestinian women form part of a systematic strategy of genocide, asserting that the killing of Palestinian women simply because of their gender constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.

The UN expert further underscored that the deliberate targeting of women and the destruction of reproductive health services are being weaponized as tools of Israeli genocide in Gaza.

She underlined that a comprehensive review of Israel’s actions reveals that the deliberate targeting of Palestinians’ reproductive capacity is a key aspect of this strategy.

Alsalem referred to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which also prohibits acts of genocide aimed at preventing reproduction within a particular group.

She elaborated that when considered together, the destruction of the healthcare system, the abandonment of newborns to their fate and the creation of intolerable conditions for pregnant and breastfeeding women all serve as instruments of Israeli genocidal violence, aimed at the total or partial destruction of the Palestinian population.

Alsalem also addressed the catastrophic effects of the ongoing attacks on women and children, citing data from the United Nations Population Fund.

She noted that approximately 800,000 women have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and nearly one million women and girls are suffering from severe food insecurity.

The UN official further highlighted that the rate of abortion has surged by 300% due to the lack of adequate medical care, the psychological trauma and the ongoing bombings.

This goes beyond genocide, she said, adding that it involves premeditated killing and the complete erosion of legal norms of armed conflict.