Hundreds were killed in Gaza overnight even as ceasefire proposals are underway, and Hamas demands talks about ending the war as part of any agreement for a two month, phased pause in fighting
At least 300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in 48 hours – almost 100 dying overnight from Israeli attacks even as ceasefire proposals are being thrashed out. Airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians after nightfall on Wednesday, including 45 who were attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, local officials said.
They were killed while outside sites being used as US-backed and controversial aid stations, leading to claims they have been ‘militarised’ by Amnesty International. Amnesty said in a report released on Thursday: “Israel has continued to use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip and to deliberately impose conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction as part of its ongoing genocide.”
Dozens of people were killed in airstrikes that pounded the Strip Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including 15 killed in strikes on tents in the sprawling Muwasi zone, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering. A separate strike on a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people also killed 15 people.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 57,000 since the war began on October 7, 2023. The toll includes 223 people who had been missing but have now been declared dead. War in the Palestinian Strip has raged now for 21 months – and yet still Hamas fired two rockets at Sderot in Israel earlier today.
Even as violence escalated a US-backed ceasefire proposal for a 60 day pause in fighting is being considered by Hamas, having been agreed upon by Israel. Sources told the Daily Mirror it will likely involve 10 of the remaining 20 hostages who are alive in Gaza being released in exchange for a large number of freed Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is thought to be prepared to agree to the deal – having been persuaded that during the 60 days ceasefire negotiations in earnest to end the war will also take place. However some sources believe that outcome is unlikely and Hamas has insisted war must end without it handing over its weapons and going into exile.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Hamas’ response emphasised its demand that the war end, raising questions about whether the latest offer could materialise into an actual pause in fighting.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. One of the few industries in Gaza, fishing, has been destroyed with boats blasted by repeated bombing raids.
More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leaving hundreds of thousands of people hungry. And there is increasing alarm over fears of mass famine across the densely-packed community.
And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced near daily demonstrations in cities like Tel Aviv as locals demanded he end the war so the hostages can be released.
It is believed only 20 of the remaining Israeli hostages are still alive somewhere within the Gaza Strip, probably hidden in underground passages.