The health ministry in the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas, reported that at least 9,770 people have lost their lives in the Palestinian territory since the conflict with Israel began last month.
The ministry stated that among the casualties, at least 4,800 were children. The conflict started when Israel launched strikes on the Gaza Strip in response to attacks carried out by Hamas militants on October 7, which Israeli officials claim resulted in over 1,400 deaths, with most of them being civilians.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the West Bank and held discussions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During the visit, Abbas urged Blinken to work towards a ceasefire, as further casualties were reported, including a strike on a refugee camp.
The Gaza health ministry stated that an Israeli military strike on the Maghazi refugee camp resulted in at least 47 fatalities. Additionally, in a separate attack, 21 Palestinians from one family, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza.
Foreign ministers from several countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, met with Blinken in Amman and called for a ceasefire. However, Blinken expressed reservations about a full ceasefire, instead advocating for localized pauses in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid delivery and the evacuation of people from the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Abbas strongly urged Blinken to stop what he referred to as “crimes” and called for an immediate ceasefire, decrying the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
It’s worth noting that Reuters could not independently verify the reported casualties.
Israel maintains that it is targeting Hamas and not civilians, accusing Hamas of using residents as human shields.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with ongoing airstrikes and a humanitarian crisis. Living conditions in Gaza have worsened, with shortages of food and water, and collapsing medical services. A significant number of the population has been internally displaced according to the UN humanitarian office’s estimates.
