50,000 killed in Gaza since start of Israel-Hamas war, health ministry says.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war with Hamas began, the territory’s health ministry said Sunday, a grim milestone for a war with no end in sight as Israel resumes fighting and warns of even tougher days ahead.

The ministry on Sunday reported 41 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 50,021.

Authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters when reporting casualty figures, but the health ministry and the United Nations say the majority of deaths are women and children. And the true toll could be much higher, with many thousands believed to still be under the rubble.

On Monday, the ministry published a list of names of 15,613 children under the age of 18 who it said had been killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza. Among them, 890 children were under the age of 1, and 274 were born and died during the war. Almost a quarter, 26%, were under the age of 5.

The Israeli military told CNN that the Hamas-controlled ministry’s figures are “replete with inconsistencies and false determinations,” adding that the ministry tends to “record deaths unrelated to the conflict, such as natural deaths.”

Source: https://edition.cnn.com

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