Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 20,000 And Israel Expands Ground Offensive Despite Pressure To Scale Back

More than 20,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, health officials said Friday, the latest indication of the staggering cost of the conflict as Israel expands its ground offensive and orders tens of thousands more people to leave their homes.

The deaths, amounting to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population, are just one measure of the devastation wrought by the conflict that over 11 weeks has displaced nearly 85% of Gaza’s people and leveled wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave.

More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday from the United Nations and other agencies describing the crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

Read more: AP