The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that at least 50,021 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since war with Israel began in October 7, 2023.
"The toll for the Israeli aggression has reached 50,021 martyrs and 113,274 wounded since October 7, 2023," a ministry statement said.
In the last 24 hours, the ministry recorded 41 additional deaths.
According to the UN and the health ministry, women and children account for the bulk of fatalities. And since many thousands are thought to still remain beneath the debris, the actual number may be far higher.
As Israel's battle with Hamas restarted this week, shattering a two-month ceasefire in Gaza, the casualty toll increased. According to the health ministry, Tuesday's continued airstrikes made it one of the worst days for Palestinians since the start of the war, with over 500 people, including 200 children killed by Israeli fire and injured 909 people. Israel also resumed its ground operation in the enclave by Wednesday, CNN reported.
“This is a very grim, horrifying milestone. People who had dreams, ambitions and life to look forward to are now gone.” said Hani Mahmoud, an Al Jazeera based reporter from Gaza.
He added: “For the record, the 50,000 figure is only a conservative estimate. These are only the people who have been registered at health facilities across the Gaza Strip. There are so many others buried without being registered or who have gone missing, trapped under piles of rubble.”
The most recent onslaught was described by Hamas as a "new and dangerous breach" of the ceasefire accord. The resistance group fired its first rockets toward Israel since the ceasefire broke down on Thursday, while claiming to be dedicated to the ceasefire deal it reached with Israel in January.
Israeli leaders warn that the future will be far worse, leaving Gazans with little optimism that the slaughter will slow.
In the event that Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is allowed to continue ruling the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Israel Katz this week threatened to make the people of Gaza "pay the full price."
“Return the hostages and eliminate Hamas, and other options will open up for you – including going to other places in the world for those who wish,” he said. “The alternative is complete destruction and devastation.”
In a televised speech last Tuesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I want to assure you: This is just the beginning.”
Nearly all of the more than 2 million people who live in Gaza have had to leave their homes.
Hospitals have frequently become the scene of fighting, seriously harming the enclave's healthcare system.
Since Israel barred aid from entering Gaza earlier this month and its most recent operation is impeding distribution, a humanitarian crisis and starvation are developing in sections of Gaza.
‘When will we ever rest’
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning on X for residents in the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah in the south of the strip.
The military later said troops had encircled Tel Al-Sultan to dismantle "terror infrastructure sites and eliminate terrorists in the area," in order to reinforce control and expand the security zone in southern Gaza, Reuters reported.
It said soldiers were allowing the evacuation of civilians from the combat zone via organized routes for their safety.
"When the ceasefire began, we returned to put up tents next to the ruins of our homes, dreaming that soon our homes would be rebuilt," said Abu Khaled, a Rafah resident.
"Now we are fleeing under fire for maybe the 10th time, when will we ever rest? When will there ever be peace in this city?" he told Reuters.