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WORLD NEWS Friday 16 august 2024
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the

territory’s Health Ministry says

By WAFAA SHURAFA and hospitals and cemeteries
JULIA FRANKEL where it claims fighters or
Associated Press tunnels are located, often
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip causing civilian casualties.
(AP) — More than 40,000 The fighting has also killed
Palestinians have been 329 Israeli soldiers. The Is-
killed in the Israel-Hamas raeli military claims that
war in Gaza, the territory’s over 17,000 Hamas fighters
Health Ministry said Thurs- are among those killed in
day. Gaza but has not provided
Israel’s offensive has also evidence.
wounded 92,401 people Nearly 85% of Gaza’s 2.3
and displaced over 85% million people have been
of the population from driven from their homes,
their homes, the ministry fleeing multiple times
in Hamas-run Gaza said. across the territory to es-
It does not distinguish be- cape ground offensives.
tween civilians and mili- During the war, thousands
tants in its toll. within Israel and in southern
The announcement came Lebanon have also been
during yet another push displaced.
from international media- The assault has created a
tors to broker a cease-fire massive humanitarian crisis
in the war, now in its 11th Palestinians bury the bodies of people who were killed in fighting with Israel and returned to Gaza in Gaza. The entire territory
month. by the Israeli military, during a mass funeral in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. is at high risk of famine and
The conflict began Oct. 7 Associated Press over 495,000 people more
after Hamas-led militants identify the dead as bodies er, since many bodies re- airstrikes bury their dead than a fifth of the popula-
attacked southern Israel, stream into overwhelmed main buried under the rub- wherever possible in back- tion are expected to expe-

killing some 1,200 people hospitals and morgues ble of buildings destroyed yards, along roadsides and rience the most severe lev-
most of them civilians and where they say the count is in airstrikes. under the staircases of their el of hunger in the coming
dragging roughly 250 hos- compiled amid the chaos Israel’s air and ground of- homes. months, according to the
tages to Gaza. of war and displacement. fensive in Gaza has been Israel says it aims to elimi- latest report by the lead-
Israel says 111 of the cap- In its most recent detailed one of the most devastat- nate Hamas. It blames ing authority on measuring
tives have not been re- report on the dead, issued ing military campaigns in Hamas for civilian deaths hunger.
leased, including the bod- Thursday, the ministry said recent history. because militants operate Also, Gaza’s sanitation sys-
ies of 39. The hostages in- 40,005 people have been The bombardment and in civilian areas and have tems have been destroyed,
clude 15 women and two killed. shelling have killed entire built extensive tunnel net- leaving pools of sewage
children under the age Health officials and civil de- Palestinian families. With works underneath them. and towers of garbage in
of 5. In Gaza, health offi- fense workers say the true cemeteries often unreach- Israeli forces have regularly tent camps packed with
cials have struggled to fully toll is likely thousands high- able, families fleeing Israeli targeted mosques, schools, displaced families.q

Survey shows disaster-prone Southeast Asia is also best prepared,

suggesting lessons can be learned

By DAVID RISING hazard isn’t the only factor sasters, its relatively high America, which is signifi- prepared, while those in
Associated Press that determines how pre- levels of resilience - from in- cantly less disaster-prone Northern and Western Eu-
BANGKOK (AP) — South- pared people feel,” Bene- dividual people to overall than Southeast Asia, said rope were in the middle of
east Asia is among the re- dict Vigers, a research society, and the region’s they only felt slightly less the pack.q
gions most prone to natu- consultant with Gallup, approach to and invest-
ral disasters, but a new told The Associated Press. ment into disaster risk man-
analysis released Thursday The report found the Asso- agement more broadly,”
shows its people also feel ciation of Southeast Asian he said.
the best equipped to deal Nations has played a key Forty percent of people
with them. role in disaster risk reduc- surveyed in Southeast Asia
It seems logical that the tion, and Vigers said the said they had experienced
countries in and around region’s wider approach a natural disaster in the
the Pacific Ring of Fire, vul- includes widespread and past five years, while a sim-
nerable to earthquakes, effective early-warning ilar number 36% in South-
typhoons, storm surges systems, scaled-up com- ern Asia said the same. But
and other dangers, are munity approaches and 67% of Southeast Asians felt
also the best prepared, regional cooperation, and among the best prepared
but the survey by Gallup good access to disaster fi- to protect their families
for the Lloyd’s Register nance. and 62% had emergen-
Foundation shows that’s “Southeast Asia’ success cy plans, while Southern
not always the case in oth- in feelings of disaster pre- Asians felt less ready, with Rescuers carry the body of a victim of a flash flood in Tanah
er regions. paredness can be linked 49% and 29% respectively. Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on May 13, 2024.
“Frequent exposure to to its high exposure to di- Respondents from North Associated Press