The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 34,356, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Friday.
In a press statement, the ministry said that the Israeli army killed 51 Palestinians and wounded 75 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total injuries to 77,368 in addition to the death toll since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.
The statement mentioned that some victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, with the Israeli army preventing ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five civilians were killed and several injured on Friday night local time by Israeli bombardments in the vicinity of the Nuseirat Camp in the middle of Gaza Strip and a school in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli side has not made any response to this.
The Times of Israel reported a meeting was concluded between Israeli officials and a high-level Egyptian delegation in Tel Aviv on Friday. Progress has been made in all aspects of negotiations over a hostage deal and Israel's upcoming offensive in the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah.
A senior Israeli official said that "In the background, there are very serious intentions from Israel to move ahead in Rafah", and the Egyptians are willing to exert pressure on Hamas to achieve a deal.
According to the official, Israel made a warning that it would not agree to foot-dragging by Hamas on the hostage deal to delay the military operation in Rafah, and he also mentioned that Israel had deployed reserve soldiers to the Gaza Strip.
The officer told Israel's Channel 12 that "this is the last chance before we go into Rafah". reiterating that Israel would take 33 live hostages in the first phase of the agreement.
Considerable progress has been achieved in bringing the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations closer together regarding reaching a truce in Gaza, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV reported.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has not made any response to the meeting between Egypt and Israel.
On Friday, the movement said in a statement that Hamas is "open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people." But its position on a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip will not change.
The statement proposed a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, and unconditional or restricted return of displaced persons to their homes in Gaza and North Gaza governorates and across the Strip.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza reaches 34,356
Palestinian death toll in Gaza reaches 34,356
