Mon Dec 16 11:45:23 UTC 2024: ## Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 45,000 as Israeli Offensive Enters 15th Month

**GAZA CITY** – The death toll in the Israeli offensive on Gaza has tragically surpassed 45,000, including 17,000 children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Monday. This grim milestone comes as the conflict enters its 15th month, with the situation described as “unbearable” by residents. The official count does not include an estimated 11,000 Palestinians still missing and presumed trapped under rubble.

Over the past 24 hours alone, 52 bodies arrived at overwhelmed hospitals across the besieged territory. Among the victims were ten people killed in an overnight strike on a house in Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood, including two parents and their two children. At least 20 more Palestinians perished in a separate attack on Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz School in Khan Younis on Sunday. Israel claimed the school attack targeted Hamas operatives, but offered no evidence. Another UN-run school, Khalil Oweida School in Beit Hanoon, was also struck, resulting in numerous casualties.

Al Jazeera reporters described the situation in northern Gaza as particularly harrowing, with constant shelling, air attacks, and drones targeting civilians on the streets. Rescuers are struggling to reach trapped survivors amidst the widespread destruction. The relentless attacks have targeted schools, shelters, and hospitals, leaving residents with no safe havens.

Monday also saw the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed al-Louh, who was killed along with five Palestinian civil defence workers in an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp. The current death toll represents roughly 2 percent of Gaza’s pre-war population. The ongoing siege and relentless violence continue to inflict immense suffering on the Palestinian people.

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