As Gaza Death Toll Crosses 20,000, Aid Group Warns True Number Is Higher

After ten weeks of Israeli military operations in Gaza, authorities have counted 20,000 dead Palestinians. An overwhelming number of the dead are innocent civilians with no ties to Hamas. An aid group warns the actual death toll is likely higher as thousands of missing Gazans lay dead or dying under the rubble. Israeli officials say civilian deaths are a part of eliminating Hamas.

“As the official death toll in Gaza passes 20,000, Islamic Relief is warning that the actual toll is likely to be even higher – as thousands of people are still missing and buried under the rubble and young children are increasingly suffering severe hunger and disease,” a press release from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. “To see 20,000 people killed in such a short space of time is a stain on the world’s conscience.”

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, the dead include 8,000 children and 6,200 women. At least an additional 50,000 are injured.

An Israeli official told reporters on Wednesday that the mass destruction of civilian targets in Gaza is a part of Tel Aviv’s strategy of defeating Hamas. Reuters reports a legal advisor to the Israeli Defence Forces said the IDF was carrying out “thousands and thousands of attacks and often attacks that require heavy firepower” to destroy tunnels under Gaza used by Hamas. He added, “Really tragically that results in a large number of civilian casualties.”

🔗Source: Antiwar.com

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