Patients at a field hospital in Muwasi, near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip (AP Photo)

Number of Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war has reached a massive 66,000, Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday.In its daily report, the misnitry also said that 168,162 people have been wounded so far. In the last 24 hours, 79 bodies were brought to hospitals.According to the report, women and children account for about half of those killed.The health ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run administration, does not separate civilians from militants in its figures. The United Nations and independent experts treat its numbers as broadly reliable.A humanitarian crisisThe toll began since the war broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people. It triggered retaliation from Israel, which launched a war that has destroyed large parts of Gaza, forced nearly 90% of residents from their homes, and created a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in Gaza City.According to United Nations office for coordination of humanitarian affairs’ latest report, “Intensified strikes on Gaza City, including on tents, residential buildings, infrastructure continue to inflict heavy casualties.”The UN agency said that in Gaza City, several health centres have shut down this month, along with community kitchens, as Israel’s military operation continues.Also read: Painful concessions loom: Netanyahu faces tough test after Trump’s 21-point peace plan — Will he bend or break?UN aid chief Tom Fletcher recently said, the war is having a catastrophic impact on Gaza’s children, many of whom have been killed while sleeping, playing, waiting for food and water, or trying to get medical help.End of road?Israel’s military continued its offensive in Gaza even as its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday.

The Israeli prime minister, however, defended his country’s military strikes and vowed to press on with the campaign against Hamas, telling the UN General Assembly on Friday that Israel would “finish the job.”The Trump administration has given Arab leaders a 21-point plan to end the Gaza war. According to a report by the Times of Israel, the proposal calls for Gaza to be declared a “terror-free zone,” with Hamas removed from power and its military network dismantled.