By John Ikani
The latest report released by Gaza Health Ministry indicates that no fewer than 2,329 Palestinians have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Regrettably, this marks the deadliest chapter among the five Gaza wars for the Palestinian people.
Disturbingly, the number of casualties on Sunday exceeded the toll of the third Israel-Hamas war that took place in the summer of 2014, where U.N. records state that 2,251 Palestinians lost their lives, with 1,462 of them being innocent civilians.
In stark contrast, that particular war persisted for a gruelling six weeks, and on the Israeli side, 74 individuals lost their lives, including six civilians.
The current conflict ignited merely a week ago when Hamas militants launched a shocking surprise assault by infiltrating southern Israel.
Tragically, over 1,300 Israelis have lost their lives as a result of the initial, extensive attack and the rocket strikes emanating from Gaza.
Most of the casualties were civilians.
For Israel, this conflict stands as the deadliest since the 1973 confrontation with Egypt and Syria.
