GAZA’S death toll climbed past 40,000 today as international mediators held a new round of talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

In its most recent detailed report on the dead, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that of the 40,005 Palestinians reported killed, nearly 16,500 were children.

Israel’s war has also left 92,401 people wounded and made refugees of over 85 per cent of the enclave’s 2.2 million population.