Gaza death toll reaches 9,770 as war enters 29th day

Gaza, Nov 6 (IANS) As the raging Israel-Hamas war continued for the 29th day on Monday, the overall death toll in the Gaza Strip has increased to 9,770, including 4,008 children and 2,550 women, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave said in its latest update.

According to the Ministry, at least 243 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours.

of the 243 deaths, 65 were recorded during airstrikes targeting residential buildings in the three refugee camps of Al Bureij and Al Maghazi, both in Deir Al Balah and Jabaliya in North Gaza governorate. 

Since the war erupted on October 7, a total of 24,173 people have been injured in the Hamas-controlled enclave, while 2,260 others were reported missing, including 1,270 children. 

In its latest situation update, the UN Office for Coordinated Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that about 1.5 million people in Gaza are internally displaced (IDPs).

Of the total, some 717,000 are sheltering in 149 UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities, 122,000 in hospitals, churches, and public buildings, 110,000 people in 89 schools.

The OCHA stressed that overcrowding remained a major concern as more than 530,000 people were in 92 UNRWA facilities in the south and shelters are unable to accommodate new arrivals.

"Many displaced persons are seeking safety by sleeping in the streets, near UNRWA premises," it added. 

The UN Office also said that Gaza has remained under a full electricity blackout since October 11, following Israel’s halt of its power and fuel supply, which triggered the shutdown of enclave’s sole power plant.

As a result, the main electricity generators at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza have reportedly stopped operating due to the lack of fuel. 

Both hospitals operate secondary, smaller generators, which provide only a few hours of electricity a day for the most critical services. 

Since the start of hostilities, 14 out of 35 hospitals have stopped functioning and 51 of all primary care facilities across Gaza have shut down due to damage or lack of fuel. 

Meanwhile on the Israeli side, about 1,400 citizens and foreign nationals have been killed in the Jewish nation. 

According to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority of the fatalities were recorded on October 7. 

As of November 3, the names of 1,159 of these fatalities have been released, including 828 civilians. 

Of those whose ages have been provided, 31 are children. 

According to the Israeli authorities, 242 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. 

Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. 

So far, four civilian hostages have been released by Hamas, and one female soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. 

Hamas has claimed that 57 of the hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes.   

On Sunday, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of troopers killed since the start of ground operations to 29. 

In the West Bank, 141 Palestinians, including 43 children, have been killed by Israeli forces; and eight, including one child, by Israeli settlers. 

Two Israelis have been killed by Palestinians.