Live Updates: Israel and Hamas agree on Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal

Israel’s 15-month war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas attacks on October 7, has decimated large swathes of the enclave and destroyed vital health infrastructure, while putting a huge strain on hospitals that remain functional.

Overnight, the death toll in the strip rose even as brokers announced a ceasefire and hostage deal to take effect on Sunday.

At least 12 people were killed and 20 others wounded in an Israeli attack on a residential area in northern Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Gaza Civil Defense.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Almost 18,000 of those killed were children, the ministry says.

But the true number is likely much higher, according to a recent study.

Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) published in the journal The Lancet said there were an estimated 64,260 “traumatic injury deaths” in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza put the figure at 37,877 at that time.

By October 2024, Gaza’s death toll from violence was believed to exceed 70,000, the study said, based on the estimated underreporting rate.

The total death toll attributable to Israel’s military campaign is likely to be even higher, it said, as the analysis does not take into account deaths caused by health care disruptions, inadequate food, clean water and sanitation and disease.