Hamas-Israeli War Enters 167th Day: Death Toll From Palestinians Reaches 31,988 Lives And 31,198 Buildings Destroyed

Israeli Tanks in Ja;ur Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The death toll in Gaza continues to grow, while 35 percent of buildings in the region were destroyed by the UN agency, as the Hamas-Israeli war entered its 167th day.

At least 31,988 Palestinians have been killed and 74,188 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since 7 October, the health ministry said in the enclave on Thursday.

"At least 65 people were killed and 92 others injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement, launching Anadolu March 21.

Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the road and rescue teams cannot reach them, he added.

The Hamas-Israeli war has forced 85 percent of Gaza's population to flee amid food shortages, clean water, and medicines, while 60 percent of infrastructure in the enclave has been damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, satellite imagery analyzed by the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT) shows 35 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

In its assessment using high-resolution satellite imagery collected on February 29, comparing it to the image taken before and after the start of the war.

Of the 88,868 buildings in Gaza, 31,198 buildings were destroyed, 16,908 buildings were heavily damaged and 40,762 buildings were moderately damaged.

This number shows an increase of nearly 20,000 damaged buildings compared to previous assessments based on images taken in January, UNOSAT said.

"The Khan Younis and Gaza region experienced the most significant damage, with Khan Younis experiencing 12,279 additional buildings damaged and Gaza experiencing 2,010 more buildings," UNOSAT said, quoted by The Times of Israel.

"Kota Khan Younis terkena dampak yang sangat parah, dengan 6.663 bangunan baru dirusakan," lanjutnya.

Israel has hit the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people in the country's territory.