According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza region, over 40,000 Palestinians have tragically lost their lives in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It has been reported that further 92,401 individuals have been left wounded and a shockingly high 85% of the region’s population has been uprooted from their homes as a direct result of the Israeli onslaught. The total toll does not differentiate between civilians and militants.
While the war now heads into its 11th month, international negotiators continue their attempts to establish a ceasefire. The war initially erupted on the 7th of October, following militant attacks led by Hamas on southern Israel that resulted in the devastating loss of approximately 1,200 civilian lives and around 250 individuals taken hostage. Israel’s official reports state that 111 hostages remain in captivity, including two children below the age of five and 15 women, in addition to the bodies of 39 individuals whom they claim are still unreleased.
Given the war’s chaotic and volatile nature, Gaza’s health officials find it difficult to precisely identify the dead whose bodies are rushed into the already over-burdened hospitals and morgues. As per the health ministry’s latest comprehensive report, issued on Thursday, the death toll stands at 40,005. However, health officials and civil defence workers speculate that the real figure could be significantly higher, as numerous deceased might still be trapped under the ruins of buildings demolished in air raids.
In the midst of this crisis, international mediators are preparing to undertake a new wave of dialogues aimed at ceasing the ongoing war and securing the release of numerous hostages. Spearheading these discussions will be representatives from the US, Qatar, and Egypt meeting an Israeli delegation in Qatar. It remains unclear whether Hamas will participate in these talks, as they accuse Israel of appending additional requirements to a previously agreed proposal that had secured both the US and international backing. A ceasefire in Gaza could potentially alleviate regional tensions and convince Iran as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon to withhold retaliatory attacks on Israel. These tensions were initially sparked off by the killing of a high-ranking Hezbollah leader in an Israeli airstrike and an attack on Hamas’ principal political heads in Iran’s capital.
Months of painstaking mediations have led to the development of a three-stage proposal, which is expected to bring about the release of numerous hostages taken during the October 7th assault that incited war. The proposed plan, announced by US President Joe Biden on May 31st, includes a lasting ceasefire, the removal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of incarcerated Palestinians by Israel. Both parties have, in theory, agreed to implement the said plan.
In related developments, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, refused claims made in a news report that he had engaged in a discussion concerning the Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. “It is false that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conversation with former President Donald Trump yesterday, contrary to what has been reported,” stated a comment released from his office on Thursday.
According to the Axios report, which quotes two American sources, the call from Mr Trump on Wednesday was supposedly meant to encourage Mr Netanyahu to accept the proposal. However, it was highlighted that it wasn’t certain this was the actual conversation by the ex-president. The Trump team didn’t immediately offer a statement when approached for a comment. – AP.