Gaza death toll from Israeli airstrikes surpasses 20,000 people, says Hamas

The number of people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza has surpassed 20,000, the Hamas government has said on messaging app Telegram.

Around 1.9 million people, 85% of the population, are believed to have been driven from their homes by the fighting, while half of the people in Gaza are thought to be starving, according to the UN's World Food Programme.

Wednesday's figures were announced by the government media office, while previous death tolls have come from the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.