Gaza death toll tops 10,000 as Israel steps up the war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to destroy Hamas, following their attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Additionally, over 240 hostages were taken, as reported by Israeli officials. Despite growing calls for a ceasefire, Netanyahu has made it clear that there will be no relenting in the Israeli offensive.

Overnight airstrikes have contributed to the rising death toll in Gaza, with 10,022 people reported dead, the majority being women and children. The health ministry's spokesman said this information during a press conference, also highlighting that two paediatric hospitals and Gaza's only psychiatric hospital were targeted. Furthermore, the director of a hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza reported 58 deaths from the attacks. 

"These are massacres! They destroyed three houses over the heads of their inhabitants -- women and children," one resident, Mahmud Meshmesh, told AFP.

"We have already taken 40 bodies out of the rubble," he said as crowds prayed around corpses wrapped in white shrouds.

The Israeli military has accused Hamas of constructing tunnels beneath hospitals, schools, and places of worship in Gaza as a means to hide fighters, store weapons and ammunition, and plan attacks. However, Hamas has vehemently denied these charges.

To further aggravate the situation, ground forces with tanks have flooded the northern area of the Gaza Strip and tightened their hold on Gaza City, effectively dividing the territory into two parts.

Israel's ally the United States, dispatched its top diplomat Antony Blinken on a quick Middle East tour. The tour concluded in Turkey, where the host continued to urge for an Israeli ceasefire. However, Washington has chosen not to support this initiative.

In addition, the leaders of major United Nations agencies issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire within Gaza. The territory, home to 2.4 million people, is currently facing dire circumstances due to an Israeli blockade that has severely limited access to water, food, and fuel supplies.

"It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now," the statement said.

n Monday, the Israeli army announced that it had launched "significant" attacks on 450 targets in Gaza, following last week's statement that over 12,000 targets had already been struck. Furthermore, it was reported that the military successfully captured a Hamas command post, eliminating a key Hamas commander who had been implicated in orchestrating the October 7 assaults and plotting upcoming invasions.