Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian health officials in Gaza say they have lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of the enclave’s health system and the difficulty of retrieving bodies from areas overrun by Israeli tanks and troops. The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza carefully tracked casualties over the first five weeks of war. It gave its most recent death toll of 11,078 on Nov. 10. The challenge of verifying the number of dead has mounted as Israel’s ground invasion has intensified. The invasion has severed phone and internet service and sown chaos across the territory. A spokesman told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the ministry is trying to restart its electronic database.