The Israeli military has killed at least 713 Palestinians in Gaza since the signing of the US-backed “ceasefire” deal in early October, Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily update on Thursday, as Israeli attacks continue across the Strip in violation of the agreement.
“A number of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been unable to reach them so far,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
The ministry said that another 1,943 Palestinians have been wounded, putting the total number of Palestinian casualties under the US-monitored deal at 2,656.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least one Palestinian man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Thursday. A day earlier, the news agency said that three Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in different parts of the Strip, including a child who was in critical condition.
Israeli troops continue to occupy more than 50% of Gaza, and the other part of the Palestinian territory is under the control of Hamas. There’s been no sign of progress in implementing President Trump’s Gaza plan amid the US-Israeli war against Iran, which the president launched less than two weeks after holding the first meeting of his so-called “Board of Peace,” which was meant to oversee the governance of Gaza.
The US and Israel have been demanding that Hamas give up all of its weapons, and only then will reconstruction be allowed to take place. For its part, Hamas’s position has been that it won’t lay down its arms unless there’s progress toward a Palestinian state. Hamas officials have suggested they’re open to a limited disarmament or “freezing” their weapons, but according to the latest reports, that’s not enough for the US and Israel.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, at least 72,289 Palestinians have been killed and 172,043 have been wounded. The number is considered an undercount as many thousands are still missing under the rubble, and several studies have found that the real death toll is likely around or over 100,000, which only accounts for violent deaths.
