Gaza/Tel Aviv, Dec 22, (dpa/GNA) – The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip, has risen to 20,057 since the start of the war, the Hamas-controlled health authority in the territory said on Friday.
In the past two days, some 390 people were killed, it said. A total of 53,320 people have been injured, including thousands of minors.
The figures cannot be independently verified, but the UN and observers, point out that the authority’s figures have proved to be generally credible in the past.
The Israeli military offensive to eliminate Hamas from Gaza, was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, carried out by Hamas and other groups on October 7.
About 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel, and another 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were released during a brief truce.
Israel launched massive airstrikes on Gaza, followed by a ground offensive that began in late October.
Meanwhile, dozens of foreigners and Palestinians with dual citizenship were set to leave the embattled coastal strip on Friday, according to a list issued by the Palestinian border authority at the Rafah border crossing.
The list includes people with British, US and Mexican citizenship.
Since the start of the war more than two months ago, hundreds of foreigners and dual nationals have crossed to Egypt via Rafah.
Many of them are received at the border by representatives of their respective embassies, who then organize their onward journey via the Cairo airport.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in November, that there were some 7,000 people from 60 countries in the Gaza Strip, who were waiting to evacuate.
It is unclear how many foreigners and Palestinians with second passports are currently still in Gaza.
GNA