The death toll in the Gaza Strip has reportedly surpassed 17-thousand since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas amid intense fighting in southern Gaza.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry on Thursday, 350 people have been killed and about 19-hundred were injured in the area in the past 24 hours, with a total death toll since October 7 climbing to 17-thousand-177 and 46-thousand injured.

The Israeli military launched its campaign to suppress Hamas in earnest by deploying ground forces to the Gaza Strip in late October, successfully taking control of most of the northern region before expanding into the south recently. 

The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that they have encircled southern Gaza and its main city, Khan Younis, and are now operating in the city.