The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Sunday that 87 Palestinians were killed and 409 others wounded in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the resumption of Israeli hostilities on 18 March to 11,911 killed and 50,735 injured. This raises the total number of casualties since the war began on 7 October 2023, to 64,368 killed and 162,776 wounded, according to the ministry. The announcement came as diplomatic activity intensifies, with a senior Hamas delegation concluding a visit to Cairo on Saturday. The delegation, led by Zaher Jabarin and including political bureau members Hussam Badran and Ghazi Hamad, met with representatives from various Palestinian factions, civil society organizations, and business leaders. Hamas said the discussions aimed to develop a "national roadmap" and reaffirm the importance of Palestinian unity as a pathway to ending the conflict and bolstering resilience. Meanwhile, US news outlet Axios reported that American envoy Steve Witkoff has sent indirect messages to Hamas via Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, exploring the possibility of a deal to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war. Baskin, who played a key role in the negotiations that led to the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011, is reportedly in contact with Hamas official Ghazi Hamad. On the ground, the violence continues. Hamas accused Israel of bombing the Farabi School, which was sheltering thousands of displaced civilians. While the number of casualties was not immediately specified, the group called the strike "a new war crime", accusing the international community of failing to prevent what it described as "massacres and systematic genocide." Hamas also called on the United Nations, along with Arab and Islamic states, to intervene and prevent further forced displacement of Palestinians. In Jordan, King Abdullah II reiterated his firm opposition to any post-war plans for Gaza that involve the displacement of its residents or its separation from the West Bank. He also warned against any Israeli attempts to annex territory or expel Palestinians, calling such moves "absolutely" unacceptable. In a separate development, the Hind Rajab Rights Foundation announced that Polish authorities have detained three representatives of Israeli arms companies following a request from the Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative, which has called for a formal investigation into their activities. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that a drone launched from Yemen struck Ramon Airport in southern Israel's Negev Desert. The Israeli military said it intercepted three additional drones in the area shortly after sirens sounded in Nitzana, near the Egyptian border. As diplomacy unfolds behind the scenes, the humanitarian crisis on the ground continues to deepen, with no clear path to a ceasefire in sight.
