Gaza death toll surpasses 74,000, ministry reports

Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Saturday that **74,016** Palestinians have been killed and 175,068 wounded as of Sept. 26. It reported 1,145 Palestinian deaths since the Oct. 10 ceasefire, which halted the heaviest fighting though Israeli strikes continued. The war began Oct. 7, 2023, after a Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, does not separate civilians from militants and says women and children make up about half the toll; U.N. agencies and international organizations generally consider its records reliable. Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire. Israeli forces control more than half of Gaza. Other elements of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire remain stalled, including Hamas disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal, a new Palestinian government and reconstruction. Benjamin Netanyahu has said forces will not withdraw until Hamas disarms. The Israeli military says its strikes respond to threats or attacks. Opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Yair Golan and Avigdor Lieberman met Saturday and said in a joint statement: "We recognise that these elections are critical to the future of the state." They said they would work to increase turnout and "combat fake news and smear campaigns." The vote is the first since the Oct. 7 attacks.