A dizzying figure, which we are however unable to verify independently.
The Hamas Ministry of Health announced this Thursday in a statement that the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip was "more than 30,000" since the start of the conflict with Israel, which began on October 7 after the unprecedented attack. of Hamas on Israeli soil, which caused the death of at least 1,160 people, the majority civilians.
The war, which transformed the Palestinian territory into a “death zone” according to the UN, is already, by far, the deadliest of the five conflicts that have pitted Israel against Hamas since the latter took power in Gaza in 2007. On a daily basis, civilians pay the heaviest price of the fighting and bombings which spared no area, devastated entire neighborhoods and forced 1.7 million Palestinians out of the 2.4 million inhabitants to flee their homes.
Also read: Gaza: despite the UN's fear of "generalized famine", why is it so difficult for humanitarian aid to arrive?
This assessment is communicated as the main mediators in the war, the United States and Qatar, say they hope to obtain a truce allowing the release of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave before the start of Ramadan, which begins around March 11 .
During the Hamas attack, some 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
According to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held there, 31 of whom are believed to have died, after the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a truce at the end of November.
A possible offensive in Rafah
In retaliation, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, which it considers, along with the United States and the European Union, to be a terrorist organization.
After carrying out a campaign of bombings by land, sea and air, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive on October 27 in the north of the territory while advancing towards the south.
According to the IDF, 242 soldiers lost their lives in the fighting.
In the Gaza Strip besieged by Israel, 2.2 million people are threatened with famine according to the UN, particularly in the north where destruction, fighting and looting make the delivery of aid almost impossible.
According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the humanitarian needs are “unlimited”.
The UN organization denounced obstacles imposed by Israel, which controls the entry of aid from Egypt.
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Gaza: humanitarian aid dropped from the air as Palestinians face famine
The international community is also concerned about an upcoming Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are massed, according to the UN, most of the displaced, trapped against Egypt's closed border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that a truce would only “delay” such an offensive while ensuring that civilians would be evacuated from combat zones.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden spoke of “an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in operations during Ramadan” in order to “get all the hostages out”.
“I am hopeful that by next Monday we will have a ceasefire,” he said, while emphasizing that it was “not done yet.”