The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza announced Sunday that the death toll from the war had risen to more than 52,000 people, after hundreds previously listed as missing were confirmed dead.
鈥楢n additional 697 martyrs have been added to the cumulative statistics after their data was completed and verified by the committee monitoring missing persons,鈥� the health ministry said in a statement, giving the overall toll of 52,243.
Several United Nations agencies that operate in Gaza have said the ministry鈥檚 data is credible and they are frequently cited by international organisations.
One hospital in the Palestinian territory confirmed the data and elaborated on the process.
鈥楾he families of those initially reported missing had informed authorities of their disappearance, but their bodies were subsequently recovered 鈥� either from beneath the rubble or from areas previously inaccessible to medical teams due to the presence of the Israeli army,鈥� said Khalil al-Daqran, spokesman for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
He said the ministry鈥檚 release of the 697 figure came after a 鈥榡udicial committee鈥� that collects and checks data completed its documentation, 鈥榗onfirming their martyrdom and transferring their status from missing persons to martyrs.鈥�
When asked why such a large number was announced simultaneously, the Hamas government鈥檚 Media Office in Gaza explained that statistics are released periodically.
It is not the first time the health ministry has made such a revision.
鈥楤ecause the judicial committee issues its report periodically rather than daily. They follow their own procedural protocols, and once their report was finalised, it was officially adopted,鈥� Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Media Office, said.
With Gaza largely in ruins after more than 18 months of war, the health ministry has struggled to count the death toll.
Israel has repeatedly questioned the credibility of the daily figures put out by the ministry, criticising the Gaza authorities for failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
But neither the Israeli military nor top Israeli officials have denied the scale of the overall toll.
Earlier this year, Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce, which began on January 19, but collapsed two months later on March 18 due to disagreements over the next phase of the deal.
Since then, Israel has resumed its military campaign in Gaza, resulting in at least 2,151 additional deaths.
Meanwhile, Gaza mediator Qatar said on Sunday there was some progress in talks in Doha this week aimed at securing a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war.
Speaking at a news conference, Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani reported 鈥榓 bit of progress鈥�, in response to questions about reports of a Thursday meeting in Doha between Israel鈥檚 Mossad spy agency chief David Barnea and the Qatari prime minister.
鈥榃e need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That鈥檚, that鈥檚 basically, I think, the key point of the entire negotiations,鈥� Sheikh Mohammed added.
Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza which came into effect on January 19 but which did not bring a complete end to the war.
The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps. Israel resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.
Sheikh Mohammed met with Barnea in the Qatari capital to discuss a potential hostage deal on Thursday, according to Israeli media.
鈥楾he meeting that took place on Thursday is part of these efforts where we鈥檙e trying to find a breakthrough,鈥� the Qatari prime minister said without further elaborating on the details of the meeting.
Hamas is open to an agreement to end the war in Gaza that would see all hostages released and secure a five-year truce, an official said on Saturday as the group鈥檚 negotiators met in Cairo.
The Qatari PM said efforts were focused on the 鈥榖est comprehensive deal possible that ends the war, brings the hostages out and not dividing a deal into other phases.鈥�
Hamas has insisted that the negotiations should lead to a permanent end to the war.
According to the Palestinian group, it rejected an earlier Israeli offer that included a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the return of 10 living hostages.
