Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 31, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Hamas health ministry says Gaza death toll climbs to over 21,800
Palestinians inspect the damage following Israeli strikes on the Zawayda area of the central Gaza Strip on December 30, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror group. (AFP)
The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says at least 21,822 people have been killed in the Strip since the war was sparked by the devastating October 7 onslaught by the terror group.
Figures issued by Hamas cannot be independently verified and include both civilians and terror operatives killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.
Israel says it is making an effort to avoid harm to civilians while fighting a terror group embedded within the civilian population. It has long accused Gaza-based terror groups of using Palestinians in the Strip as human shields and of operating from sites including schools and hospitals, which are supposed to be protected.
