Israel-Palestine, DR Congo, Ethiopia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Israel-Palestine

Figures can be difficult to report. The bigger they are the harder they seem for people to get their heads around. But sometimes you should try, really try. Gaza’s health ministry today said that almost 5,100 people have been killed in the more than two weeks of Israeli air raids on the Palestinian enclave. It said that 2,055 of the dead are children, 1,119 are women and 217 are elderly people. Behind those numbers are more than 5,000 individuals with complex life stories and people who loved them.

More from DW here.

DR Congo

Fresh fighting has erupted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between government forces and the M23 rebel group. Locals say M23 has captured the town of Kitshanga in North Kivu province. Violence started again three weeks ago after a six-month truce. M23, which DRC says is supported by neighboring Rwanda, had been inactive for years but launched a fresh offensive late last year accusing the government of reneging on a deal to integrate its fighters into the national army.

More from BBC here.

Ethiopia

This is one to watch. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has started making noises about the need for his vast landlocked country to have access to the sea. Experts say his comments will have rattled neighboring Eritrea, a longtime foe with which Ethiopia only normalized relations three years ago, given the two ports it maintains on the Red Sea coast. The ports were once Ethiopia’s gateways to the world before Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia and became independent in 1993.

More from the East African here.