The number of Palestinians killed in two months of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has jumped to at least 17,177, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said on Thursday, adding that another 46,000 people have been injured Two days ago the number of dead stood at 16,248. The casualty figures cannot be independently verified, but the United Nations and other observers point out that the authority’s figures have proved to be generally credible so far. The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extrem…