Palestinian death toll in Gaza passes 64,000, officials say, after ceasefire talks break down World Sep 4, 2025 2:52 PM EDT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip, local health officials said Thursday, as Hamas and Israel reiterated their incompatible demands for ending the fighting sparked by the militant group’s 2023 attack.

Israeli strikes killed 28 people, mostly women and children, overnight and into Thursday, according to hospitals, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive in famine-stricken Gaza City. Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the military spokesman, said Israeli forces control 40% of the city and that the operation would expand “in the coming days.”

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