DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

Thursday’s announcement comes during new efforts to broker a cease-fire to the conflict, now in its 11th month. The count does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

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It reflects the magnitude of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. The war began Oct. 7 after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and dragging roughly 250 hostages to Gaza.

The United Nations’ human rights chief said the latest number of dead in Gaza “marks a grim milestone for the world.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement issued in Geneva that “this unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war.”

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Türk added that “the scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.”

He said that his office has documented serious violations of international humanitarian law both by the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.