Death Toll Crosses 10,000 In Gaza, Israel Hails US Nuclear Submarine Deployment (Image: UNRWA)

In the latest update from war-ravaged Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that the death toll in the Strip has exceeded 10,000. The ministry stated that 10,022 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7. Meanwhile, Israel has welcomed deployment of a nuclear submarine in the U.S. Central Command”s area of responsibility in West Asia.

“It”s always good news to see that the Americans are moving in more assets,” news agency Reuters quoted military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht as saying.

The deployment of the nuclear submarine happened hours before the visit of US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief Bill Burns to Israel, according to reports, to assist its biggest partner in West Asia in a bid to intelligence sharing and help Israel to find partners and cooperation when it comes to the release of hostages who are reportedly now in Gaza.

As the death toll reached 10,000, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it has reopened an evacuation route for Gazan civilians to move south for their safety.

“The IDF has repeatedly called on the residents of Gaza City to evacuate from the area, and continues to urge them to do so. We are not at war with the people of Gaza,” an X post from the official handle of the IDF said.

it also claimed that over 450 Hamas targets were struck, including “terrorists, military compounds, observation posts, anti-tank missile launch posts and more” and said its ground troops took control of a Hamas military compound—containing observation posts, training areas for Hamas operatives and underground terror tunnels—in Gaza.