More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza health officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war passed 55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday, and hospitals said at least 21 people were killed while on their way to aid distribution sites.

The circumstances of the deaths reported near the sites were not immediately clear. The Israeli army said Wednesday it fired warning shots in central Gaza toward “suspects” that posed a threat to troops.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates the aid distribution sites, said at least five of its local aid workers were killed in an attack that it blamed on Hamas as they headed to one of the centers.

The Gaza Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 55,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas.

The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics. The figure did not include Wednesday's deaths.

The Health Ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records. Its tolls from previous conflicts have largely aligned with those of independent experts, though Israel has questioned the ministry’s figures.

Also Wednesday, Israel said forces recovered the remains of two additional hostages held in Gaza. Militants still hold 53 captives, less than half of them believed to be alive.

Health officials in Gaza said 14 people were killed while on their way to collect aid near the southern city of Rafah. Their bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital said that seven additional people were killed while on their way to an aid distribution site.

The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots before daylight toward people it identified as suspects “who were advancing while posing a threat" in central Gaza. The military had no immediate comment on the reports of casualties in southern Gaza.

Safaa Farmawi said her daughter, Ghazal Eyad, 16, was killed while on her way to collect food in Rafah.

“My daughter and I went to get aid, she came before me, I looked for my daughter but couldn’t find her. People told me your daughter was martyred,” Farmawi told the AP.

Near-daily shootings have erupted as crowds make their way to aid sites run by a newly created aid group rejected by the United Nations. Palestinian witnesses to previous shootings have said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots toward people it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.

The foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on the designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military.

The GHF accused Hamas of attacking a bus carrying two dozen of its Palestinian workers who helped deliver aid. It said in a statement that at least five people died, multiple others were injured and it fears some may have been taken hostage.

It said the attack happened as the team was heading to one of its aid distribution sites in the area west of Khan Younis.

“Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with every victim, every family, and every person still unaccounted for,” the statement said.

The AP could not confirm the foundation’s account.

The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while a longstanding U.N.-run system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May.

Experts and human rights workers say hunger is widespread and that the territory of some 2 million Palestinians is at risk of famine if Israel does not fully lift its blockade and halt its military campaign, which it renewed in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel says the new aid distribution system is designed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid, but U.N. agencies and major aid groups say there is no evidence of systematic diversion.

They say the new system violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who receives aid and by encouraging more mass displacement as Palestinians seek access to just three operational sites, two of them in the territory’s southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone.

Israeli authorities identified one of the hostages recovered as Yair Yaakov who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and whose body was taken into Gaza. His partner and two children were also taken captive and released in a ceasefire deal early in the war.

The second hostage's identity was not disclosed.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies were retrieved in a “complex” operation without disclosing details. The Israeli military said they were recovered from Khan Younis.

The war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee. but has not agreed to disarm.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying that Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.

Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and most of the international community reject such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law.

Khaled reported from Cairo.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A Palestinian carries a bag containing food and humanitarian aid delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Ata Qasas, center, mourns over the body of his son Rashad Qasas, who was killed while heading to an aid distribution hub, during his funeral in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man, who was injured Tuesday night while trying to get access to humanitarian aid, waits to be treated at the al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian youth, who was injured last night while trying to get access to humanitarian aid, is treated at the al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian woman waits next to her son, who was injured last night while trying to get access to humanitarian aid, at the al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian, who was injured last night while trying to get access to humanitarian aid, waits to be treated at the al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians, who were injured last night while trying to get access to humanitarian aid, arrive at the al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)