GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 60 Palestinians, including 31 aid seekers, were killed and 343 wounded in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, pushing the total death toll since October 2023 to more than 62,064, the territory’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The health ministry stated that 156,573 people have been injured in the Palestinian territory since Israel launched the ongoing military offensive in 2023.
Since Israel ended a ceasefire on 18 March, 10,518 Palestinians have been killed and 44,532 wounded, the ministry added.
Among those killed in the latest reporting period were 31 people seeking humanitarian aid. Health officials said three deaths due to starvation and malnutrition were also recorded, raising famine-related fatalities to 266, including 112 children.
UN condemns restrictions on aid
The United Nations has accused Israel of directing civilians into areas under bombardment.
UN human rights spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said Palestinians told to move south to Al-Mawasi were being sent to a zone that remained under attack, with little or no access to food, water, electricity, or shelter.
The UN also condemned Israel’s five-month-long block on tents entering Gaza despite mass displacement.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said more than 700,000 people had been displaced or re-displaced during this period.
He added that Israeli authorities classify tents as “dual use” items because poles could potentially be repurposed for military activity.
Aid agencies said restrictions continue on vital supplies including medical equipment, shelter materials, and parts for water infrastructure.
“I have never in my life as a humanitarian seen these kinds of obstacles being put to every bit of aid, down to the last inch of gauze,” an Egyptian Red Crescent official told AFP.
Ceasefire efforts
Mediation efforts have gathered pace after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal that includes a 60-day truce, partial Israeli withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and increased humanitarian access.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari described the plan as “almost identical” to a previous outline already agreed by Israel, and said it provided “a pathway to a comprehensive agreement to end the war.”
Hamas confirmed it was ready to release 10 living and 18 deceased Israeli hostages in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, as well as an unspecified number of women and minors, Al Jazeera reported.
Egyptian sources said Hamas also sought the release of hundreds of detainees from Gaza.
Israel, however, has maintained that all 50 hostages believed to be held in the enclave must be freed before the war can end.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene discussions on the proposal.
A Palestinian source close to the talks said a formal Israeli response could come within 48 hours.
Mass displacement
Inside Gaza, Israel’s announced plan to seize full control of Gaza City has triggered fresh displacement, with tanks already moving into suburbs such as Zeitoun.
Local health officials said dozens remain trapped in their homes under shelling, while at least 20 more people were killed in Tuesday’s attacks.
In Israel, tens of thousands of protesters rallied at the weekend demanding a deal to free remaining hostages and end the war.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is under pressure from hostage families to secure a truce, while far-right coalition partners continue to oppose any ceasefire, calling for Hamas’ defeat and the annexation of Gaza.
Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said the group’s acceptance of the truce proposal was intended as an interim step towards a broader agreement.
But deep differences remain, with Israel demanding Hamas disarm and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions Hamas has so far rejected.
