Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims death toll in Strip surpasses 18,400
Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 12, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip claims the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has risen to at least 18,412.
The ministry says there are more than 50,000 wounded.
Israeli military officials have said they believe the overall reported death toll in Gaza is close to accurate, though it does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas gunmen nor between those killed by Israeli airstrikes and those by failed Palestinian rocket launches.
The IDF has said that by its estimate, more than 7,000 of those killed are armed Hamas operatives.
