More than 50,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry said Sunday, as new Israeli airstrikes killed at least 26 Palestinians overnight—including a Hamas political leader and several women and children. Israel's military also sent ground troops into part of the southern city of Rafah as thousands of Palestinians fled after new evacuation orders. Israel ended the latest ceasefire last week with a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds, and it has launched ground incursions in northern Gaza. The military claimed to have "eliminated" dozens of militants in recent days, the AP reports. Developments included:
Out of Gaza: Late Saturday, Israel's cabinet approved a proposal to set up a new directorate for advancing the "voluntary departure" of Palestinians in line with President Trump's proposal to depopulate Gaza and rebuild it for others. Palestinians say they do not want to leave their homeland, and rights groups say the plan could amount to expulsion in violation of international law. The military ordered people to leave Rafah's already heavily damaged Tel al-Sultan neighborhood on foot along a single route to Muwasi, a sprawling area of squalid tent camps. The war has forced most of Gaza's population of over 2 million to flee within the territory, often multiple times. "It's displacement under fire," said Mustafa Gaber, a journalist who left with his family. He said tank and drone fire echoed nearby.
Total death toll: Gaza's Health Ministry said 50,021 Palestinians have been killed in the war, and over 113,000 have been wounded. That includes 673 people killed since Israel's bombardment on Tuesday shattered the ceasefire. Dr. Munir al-Boursh, the ministry's general director, said the dead include 15,613 children, with 872 of them under 1 year old. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, per the AP, but says women and children make up over half the dead. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
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