The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on 7 October 2023, has risen to 47,540, with 111,618 people injured, the majority of whom are women and children. According to a statement from Gaza's Ministry of Health, 22 additional bodies were recovered in the past 24 hours, including 20 pulled from under the rubble of destroyed homes and roads, and two individuals who succumbed to their injuries. Six more injured victims were also admitted to hospitals. The Ministry also reported that several victims remain trapped beneath the rubble, as ambulance and civil defense teams have been unable to reach them due to the ongoing damage.
The rise in casualties comes on the 17th day of a ceasefire agreement between Israeli and Palestinian factions. The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed that negotiations have begun for the second phase of the ceasefire, focusing on shelter, relief, and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump regarding the next phase of the ceasefire agreement. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation has reported that a delegation from Tel Aviv is expected to travel to Doha next week to continue negotiations, with Qatar urging Netanyahu to fulfill promises made during the discussions.
In Gaza, the government media office condemned the actions of certain UN agencies, accusing them of stockpiling thousands of liters of fuel in their warehouses while hospitals and humanitarian facilities in the northern Gaza Strip are facing severe shortages that threaten the lives of patients and the injured. The office described this as a failure to uphold humanitarian duties during an unprecedented disaster.
In a related development, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced that Japan is considering a plan to provide medical care to those injured in Gaza. Ishiba stated that his government is working on a program to support sick and injured individuals from Gaza, and educational opportunities may also be offered to Gazan residents, drawing on a 2017 program that accepted Syrian refugee students as a potential model.
