Death toll in Gaza Strip from Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000
Deir al-Balah (AP): Health officials in the Gaza Strip say the death toll from the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas has topped 45,000 people.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The Health Ministry said 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war in October 2023. It has said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are still buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access. The latest war has been by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas, with the death toll now amounting to roughly 2 per cent of Gaza's entire prewar population of about 2.3 million.
Israel claims Hamas is responsible for the civilian death toll because it operates from within civilian areas in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Rights groups and Palestinians say Israel has failed to take sufficient precautions to avoid civilian deaths.
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Navy information leak to Pakistan: Udupi police arrest another accused Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat
Udupi: The Udupi police have arrested another accused in connection with a case involving employees of a Malpe–Cochin Shipyard limited allegedly sharing confidential information related to the Indian Navy with Pakistan in exchange for money.
The arrested accused has been identified as Hirendra Kumar, alias Bharat Kumar Khadayata (34), a resident of Kailas Nagar in Ananda taluk of Gujarat.
With this arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to three. Earlier, on November 21, police arrested Rohit and Santri, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh. They are currently in judicial custody.
According to the police, Rohit and Santri were working in a joint venture company operating at the Malpe Shipyard.
A case was registered at the Malpe Police Station after it was found that confidential details, including a list of Indian Navy ship numbers and other sensitive information, were allegedly shared with Pakistan through WhatsApp, leading to illegal monetary gains.
Hirendra Kumar was arrested on December 21 by a team led by Karkala Sub-Division Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada, the investigating officer in the case. Police stated that the accused had allegedly procured a mobile SIM card in his name for a fee and handed it over to the other accused for use in the illegal activity.
He was produced before the court, and further investigation is underway, police officials said.
