Gaza deaths Toll passes 22,000 with no sign of respite for civilians

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza climbed to more than 22,000 yesterday after intense fighting across the territory, including in the southern city of Khan Younis, where the Palestinian Red Crescent said five people were killed in a second Israeli attack on its compound.

- Emma Graham

The day after Israel announced the first drawdown of troops from Gaza, there was no sign of relief for its residents who, after three months of heavy bombardment and weeks of ground fighting, are almost all displaced, hungry and stalked by disease.

In Beirut, an Israeli drone strike killed the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri yesterday afternoon, marking a significant escalation of the war against Hamas and its conflict with Hezbollah.

Nearly three months into the war, no top Hamas figures have been killed or captured in Gaza. On a visit to soldiers stationed there the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said he was planning for a long war.

"The feeling that we will stop soon is incorrect. Without a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East," he said. 

Five Israeli brigades, comprised of several thousand troops, will leave Gaza in the next few weeks. Some for more training or rest, some to return to civilian life and work, which the government hopes will ease pressure on the economy.