The Health Ministry in Gaza says 19,453 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in early October. The announcement by ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra marked the first update since Thursday, when the toll stood at 18,787. Al-Qidra said 52,286 Palestinians have been injured in the war, up from 50,897 on Thursday.
Quick Read
- Palestinian Casualty Report: The Health Ministry in Gaza reports 19,453 Palestinians killed since the Israel-Hamas war began in early October.
- Update on Death Toll: This figure is an update from the previously reported toll of 18,787 on Thursday.
- Communication Blackout Impact: A recent blackout of internet and phone services, the longest since October 7, hindered the ministry’s ability to compile daily casualty counts.
- Injury Toll: The number of injured Palestinians has risen to 52,286, up from 50,897.
- Freed Palestinians Describe Detention Conditions: About 60 Palestinian men, detained by Israeli forces a month ago, returned to Gaza, describing harsh conditions in Israeli captivity.
- Detainees’ Accounts: Detainees report being held in an unspecified facility in southern Israel, with restricted sleep, threats of electrocution, and inadequate warmth.
- Detention Circumstances: They were detained while fleeing or taken from homes, and mostly government employees, according to one of the freed men.
- Israeli Response to Mistreatment Claims: Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari of the Israeli army refutes allegations of mistreatment, explaining the stripping of detainees as a precaution against concealed explosives.
The Associated Press has the story:
Gaza Health Ministry: Palestinians Death Toll tops 19,453 and 52,286 injured
Newslooks- RAFAH, Gaza (AP)
The Health Ministry in Gaza says 19,453 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in early October.
The announcement by ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra marked the first update since Thursday, when the toll stood at 18,787.
Internet and phone services dropped Thursday evening and were restored gradually on Sunday. It was the longest such blackout since the war began Oct. 7. The lack of connectivity meant the ministry could not compile its daily casualty count.
Al-Qidra said 52,286 Palestinians have been injured in the war, up from 50,897 on Thursday.
FREED PALESTINIANS DESCRIBE HARSH CONDITIONS AFTER MONTH IN ISRAELI CAPTIVITY
RAFAH, Gaza — Some 60 Palestinian men detained a month ago by Israeli forces returned to Gaza on Monday, entering the territory through the recently opened Kerem Shalom crossing.
Two of the men, unshaven and still in their prison tracksuits, told The Associated Press they had been held in an unspecified facility in southern Israel after being arrested as they fled south from northern Gaza. Another man, who did not want to reveal his name, said he was arrested and taken away by Israeli soldiers from his home in Gaza City.
According to Mohamed al-Hassanah, one of the freed men, all the prisoners at the facility had their hands tied, were threatened with electrocution, and were only allowed to sleep between midnight and 5 a.m.
“Each person has only a blanket all night,” he said. “Men were shaking.”
Al-Hassanah said he did not know exactly where he was taken to but said that it was roughly an hour and a half away from Gaza.
He said Israeli soldiers detained and separated him from his family on Gaza’s main highway while attempting to cross from the north into the central part of the territory.
Another of the recently released men, Ahmed Abd Rabbo, said most of those detained by Israeli forces and taken to southern Israel were government employees.
Last week, Israel’s army spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, rejected accusations that Palestinian prisoners were being mistreated after images emerged of mass arrests of half-naked men in Gaza earlier this month. He said arrests took place in two Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza and that detainees were told to strip to make sure they didn’t conceal explosives.
