Reuters VideosSTORY: The Palestinian death toll in the bloody conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip is approaching the staggering figure of 20,000 killed.The Gaza health ministry says thousands more dead remain buried beneath the rubble. "The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has expressed regret for civilian deaths but blamed Hamas – the Palestinian militant group that ran the Gaza Strip - for sheltering in densely populated areas. With people displaced, most hospitals closed and patchy communications, it's becoming increasingly difficult to compile the casualty figures. The World Health Organization on Thursday said the last hospital still operating in the northern Gaza Strip had essentially ceased functioning. "Until two days ago, it was the only hospital where injured people could be at surgery in northern Gaza, and it was overwhelmed with patients needing emergency care.

Source: CNN December 21, 2023 18:43 UTC