GAZA: The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016, with 175,068 wounded. The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people. We absolutely refuse to allow the blood, suffering, and cause of the Palestinian people to serve as fuel for Israeli elections. What matters to us is that our people achieve their goals, aspirations, and legitimate rights. Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas leader While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks. Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry. The latest Israeli strike in Gaza, in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, killed one person and wounded three others, Palestinian health officials said. Next steps in the US-brokered ceasefire remain largely stalled. Israeli forces now control over half of the Palestinian territory, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not withdraw until Hamas disarms. Netanyahu is locked in a tight contest as he seeks to stay in power in the Oct. 27 elections. The vote, the first since the Oct. 7 attack, is largely seen as a referendum on the security failures that led to it. Leading Jewish opposition parties said they promised to cooperate to beat Netanyahu’s coalition in next month’s critical elections. The parties have been criticized for infighting. The leader of Hamas brushed aside the possibility of change from Israel’s election in an interview, saying he expected Israelis to campaign off Gaza’s “blood.” “Whether this or that person comes to power, or this party or another — our people have suffered at the hands of all Israeli parties,” Khalil Al-Hayya told the media. “We absolutely refuse to allow the blood, suffering, and cause of the Palestinian people to serve as fuel for Israeli elections. What matters to us is that our people achieve their goals, aspirations, and legitimate rights.”