Gaza City, Palestinian Territories – The Hamas-run health ministry here said on Saturday that at least 21,672 people have been killed in the territory since the war with Israel erupted on October 7.
A ministry statement said 165 Gazans were killed over the past 24 hours, while 56,165 others have been wounded in the fighting.
The majority of casualties are civilians and 312 healthcare workers are among the dead, it added.
Israeli forces have rounded up thousands of Gazans during their ground offensive, with 99 healthcare workers still among the detainees according to the ministry.
Health officials reported detainees have been subjected to “cruel physical and psychological torture, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, and continuous interrogation in extreme cold”.
The Israeli military last week rejected allegations of torture made by former detainees and a medic.
Gaza’s health ministry appealed Saturday to the international community for more support, including greater assistance in evacuating more patients.
Fewer than one percent of the war wounded have been able to leave Gaza for treatment abroad, through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the ministry said.
The fighting has put 23 hospitals and 53 health centers out of service, while 104 ambulances have been destroyed, the ministry said.
The war began with Hamas’s bloody October 7 attacks, which left about 1,140 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.