Death toll in Gaza rises to 19,453

Gaza, Dec 19 (IANS) Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, at least 19,453 Palestinians have died in Gaza as of Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in the besieged enclave said.

According to the Ministry, 70 per cent of the overall fatalities include women and children.

Also, a total of 52,286 Palestinians have been injured, with many others remain unaccounted for, presumably buried under the rubble, it added.

In an address to the media, Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said there was an urgent need to evacuate 5,000 injured people from the Gaza Strip so that they can receive treatment outside the war-torn enclave.

As of Tuesday, only eight out of 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip are functional and able to admit new patients, although services are limited.

The spokesman said the health and humanitarian situation in the shelters in the southern Gaza Strip is "catastrophic due to the spread of diseases and the lack of health care".

He called on international institutions to provide the Hamas-controlled enclave with medicines and fuel in order to resume the operation of hospitals, especially those in the northern Gaza, which have suspended their services due to Israel's attacks and siege.

According to the UN, almost 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced, including people who have been displaced multiple times.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Israel stood at more than 1,200, including 36 children.

According to Israeli authorities, a majority of the fatalities occurred just hours after the Hamas launched its massaive assult on October 7.

During the now-collapsed humanitarian pause (November 24-30), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

The Israeli authorities estimate that about 129 people remain captive in Gaza, including foreigners.

Between December 16 and 18, at least 10 Israeli soldiers were killed due to the intense fighting in Gaza, including one soldier who died as a result of injuries sustained on December 14.

According to the Israeli military, since the start of the ground operations on October 27, 129 soldiers have been killed in Gaza and 704 injured.