Hamas-Israel conflict death toll nearing 5,000

Gaza/Jerusalem, Oct 19

The death toll in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict is nearing 5,000, with thousands of others injured and displaced as a result of the violence which continued for the 13th day on Thursday.

In its latest situation update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) said the death toll in Israel as of Thursday morning stood at 1,400, which included foreign nationals, as Palestinian armed groups’ continued indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population centres.

The number of injured increased to 4,562.

According to the OCHA, Israel's death toll is over threefold the cumulative number of Israelis killed since the Office began recording casualties in 2005 (nearly 400).

Meawhile, at least 199 people are currently being held captive in Gaza, it added.

Citing the Palestinian Health Ministry based in Gaza, the OCHA said that the death toll in Gaza has increased to 3,478, including 853 children, with about 12,500 others injured.

The UN agency said the deadly bombing at Al Ahli Arab Baptist hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday left at least 471 people dead, including children, healthcare staff and Internally Displaced People (IDPs).

The overall death toll in Gaza in the last 12 days of hostilities has significantly surpassed the total number of fatalities during the 2014 escalation, which lasted for over 50 days, resulting in 2,251 Palestinian deaths, the OCHA said.

Meanwhile in the West Bank, 64 people have died since the conflict erupted on October 7, including 18 children. The number of injured persons stood at 1,284.

The cumulative number of IDPs in Gaza is estimated at about one million, including over 513,907 people staying in UN Relief Works Agency-designated emergency shelters , of whom 353,539 are in central and southern Gaza alone.

Since October 11, Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply, which in turn triggered the shutdown of the besieged enclave’s sole power plant.

The Office also said that the complete siege of Gaza continues, with the Rafah, Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings remaining closed.