A photo taken from southern Israel on Thursday shows destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military has been carrying out an extensive offensive against the militant Palestinian Hamas movement since October 7. This offensive has also cost the lives of thousands of civilian Palestinians. Photo: Jack Guez/Ritzau Scanpix
Over 25.000 women, kids killed in Gaza
Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Defense Secretary, reported to Congress that Israeli forces have killed over 25,000 women and children in Gaza since October 7 2023. Austin emphasized the need for Israel to better protect civilians. Since the conflict began, the U.S. has supplied Israel with precision-guided munitions. Gaza health officials state over 30,000 Palestinians have died, and WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed this number, stressing the victims are mostly women and children and called for a ceasefire. The injured exceed 70,000, with potential underreporting due to unrecovered bodies. Death toll figures from Gaza, though not independently verified, have previously been accurate.