Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 34,568

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Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 34,568

2024-05-02 12:16 Last Updated At：23:17

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from the ongoing Israeli attacks had risen to 34,568, the Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Wednesday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army carried out four military operations in Gaza, killing 33 Palestinians and injuring 57 others, the ministry said in a statement.

This brought the total death toll to 34,568 and injuries to 77,765 since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted last October, according to the ministry.

An anonymous Egyptian official told AP News on Wednesday that Hamas had asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clear terms regarding Israel's proposal for unconditional return of displaced individuals to northern Gaza, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement's second phase.

According to Israeli media reports, during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not accept an end to the war in Gaza as part of a potential hostage deal.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu also said that reaching a deal with Hamas does not necessarily mean avoiding an attack on Rafah, and the operation in Rafah does not depend on anything.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, highlighting the dire situation in Gaza which he described as "worsening by the day".

Speaking to journalists in New York, Guterres emphasized the urgency of reaching a ceasefire agreement for the "sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages and their families in Israel, and the wider region".

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday stressed the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Blinken.

At the meeting, the King highlighted the need for urgent action to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and called for protecting innocent civilians, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani pledged on Tuesday to resume efforts to end the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During a phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the latest development and joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

They also discussed efforts to exchange hostages and detainees, and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and relief in sufficient and adequate quantities into Gaza.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths issued a statement on Wednesday, saying Israeli ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words.

After almost seven months of brutal hostilities that have killed tens of thousands of people and maimed tens of thousands more, Gaza is bracing for even more suffering and misery, said the statement.

Displaced Gaza residents suffer unbearable anguish in "humanitarian zone"

2024-05-17 11:58 Last Updated At：12:37

The Israeli military has continued its military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing a large number of Gaza residents to flee to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. The so-called humanitarian zone, as decreed by Israel, is in fact a sandy wasteland with almost no facilities to provide basic humanitarian needs.

Al-Mawasi stretches approximately 12 kilometers long and one kilometer wide, occupying just 4 percent of the entire Gaza Strip. Once a coastal desert with about 9,000 residents, it now shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

Makeshift tents constructed from wooden boards and plastic sheets divide the once sandy ground into narrow pathways, surrounded by heaps of trash and clothes worn by refugees, who walk barefoot on the sandy terrain.

Raed Abu Taima, a man in his 40s from central Gaza, has experienced the hardships of displacement. Over the past six months, he and his family have repeatedly fled due to Israeli military actions.

"We left our home with nothing and sought refuge in a school. We lived there for four months until the Israeli army surrounded us and forced us to leave. We didn't even have blankets. We walked through the Israeli checkpoints to reach Rafah. We have no tents or blankets, we have nothing," he said.

However, before reaching Rafah, Raed encountered another Israeli military blockade and was apprehended for 52 days. It was only after the Israeli army determined that he had no affiliation with armed organizations that he was released in Khan Yunis. Thereafter, Raed embarked on a search to find his family in Al-Mawasi.

Although he was eventually reunited with his family, Raed found that Al-Mawasi lacks any public services. Food is sporadically distributed by UN agencies and consists of limited supplies of flour and vegetables, while water needs to be fetched from distant wells. Every day, Raed scours for firewood and scraps of paper to cook meals.

"We don't have gas for cooking, and there is no food available in the market. Food and basic supplies are only distributed to us through relief organizations. Our lives seem to have turned into a desert. Poor sanitation conditions have led to the spread of diseases among children. One of my children has diarrhea and another has contracted chickenpox," he said.