ISTANBUL: The Palestinian death toll from relentless Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip has reached to 14,128, said the Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry in a statement said the victims include over 5,840 children and 3,920 women.
The Israeli air and ground attacks have also caused extensive damage to buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches.
The dire situation in Gaza is compounded by an Israeli blockade, severing the region from essential supplies such as fuel, electricity, and water. Aid deliveries to Gaza have reached to a minimum.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday said a temporary truce agreement with Israel was in sight, raising hopes that dozens of people taken hostage could be released.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, has said that talks to secure the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attacks have reached their closest point to an agreement.
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Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping while addressing a virtual summit of BRICS stressed for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Xi advocated for an international peace conference to address the Israel-Hamas conflict. He said that a just solution to the question of Palestine is vital for sustainable peace and security in the Middle East.
Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin has also urged a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested that regional states and BRICS member countries could play a vital role in reaching a settlement.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden said he believed a deal was close, as the International Committee of the Red Cross said its president had travelled to Qatar to meet the Hamas leader.
