KEY POINTS
- Total Gaza death toll rises to 57,680 since 7 October 2023.
- MSF reports tenfold increase in under-five mortality; infant deaths six times higher than previous estimates
- Gaza hospitals face critical fuel shortages amid Israeli restrictions
- UN, UNRWA call for immediate ceasefire
- Macron urges UK to join France in recognising a Palestinian state
- Ceasefire talks continued in Doha with no breakthrough yet
- Israel insists on dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities
GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 105 Palestinians, including eight aid seekers, were killed and more than 530 others injured in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the enclave’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
A statement issued on Telegram by the ministry reported that seven people were initially confirmed dead while seeking aid, but the death toll later rose to eight, according to Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital.
The ministry added that Israel’s ongoing bombardment campaign on Gaza has now killed at least 57,680 people, mostly women and children, and injured 137,409 others since October 7, 2023.
Since the introduction of the US- and Israel-backed aid mechanism on May 27, at least 773 aid seekers have been killed and over 5,101 injured while waiting for humanitarian aid.
The Israeli military said it had struck over 100 targets in Gaza in recent days.
In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, the military claimed to have destroyed a cache of explosives and mines allegedly hidden in civilian infrastructure.
In Rafah, southern Gaza, the military said troops had dismantled additional combat infrastructure and killed more fighters in the al-Jnaina area.
Child mortality rates
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) among its staff and their families has revealed a staggering rise in child mortality rates.
The survey found that the under-five mortality rate in Gaza has increased tenfold since the war began in October 2023.
For infants under one month, the death rate is six times higher than previous health ministry estimates. MSF’s deputy emergency manager, Amande Bazerolle, condemned what she described as Israel’s “disregard for children’s lives,” stating, “The children of Gaza are being decimated.”
Collapse of healthcare system
Hospitals across Gaza continue to face acute fuel shortages. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City is facing a critical power outage, with essential life-support systems now at risk of complete shutdown.
The hospital’s director, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, warned that hundreds of lives are in immediate danger. In Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital reported that its remaining fuel supply would last only 24 more hours.
The UN Human Rights Office has urged for immediate entry of fuel and humanitarian aid into the territory.
Spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan called on countries with influence over Israel to press for swift action.
Calls for ceasefire
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire, stating that Gaza’s population continues to suffer from hunger, thirst, worsening sanitation, and disease.
“It has been 21 months of war, 21 months of ever increasing suffering,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
In #Gaza, people’s lives and dignity are under attack every day.
It has been 21 months of war, 21 months of ever increasing suffering.
Hunger and thirst are deepening. Sanitation is worsening and diseases are spreading. Strikes and forced displacement continue.
There must be a… pic.twitter.com/X7mItznngE
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 9, 2025
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing both houses of the British Parliament during a state visit to the UK, called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and urged the UK to join France in recognising a Palestinian state.
“This solution of the two states and the recognition of the State of Palestine is… the only way to build peace and stability for all in the whole region,” Macron said.
Ceasefire talks in Doha
Qatar hosted indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha, aiming to halt Israel’s bombardment and secure a hostage release deal.
While no agreement has been reached, Steve Witkoff, a special envoy to US President Donald Trump, expressed hope for a breakthrough by week’s end.
He said the proposed 60-day ceasefire would include the release of 10 live and nine deceased hostages held in Gaza.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following two meetings with Trump in 24 hours, said: “We are not relenting, even for a moment, and this is made possible due to the military pressure by our heroic soldiers.”
Netanyahu reiterated that any agreement must ensure Hamas’s military capabilities are dismantled and Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
Hamas, however, remains defiant. In a statement, the group said, “Gaza will not surrender… and the resistance will impose the conditions, just as it imposed the equations.”
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations blamed Israel for stalling progress, citing its refusal to allow unrestricted aid entry into Gaza.
“The Israeli delegation is mostly listening rather than negotiating,” said another Palestinian source, accusing Netanyahu of obstructing potential agreement.
Despite the challenges, Witkoff said efforts were ongoing to secure a ceasefire deal. “It’s a tragedy, and [Trump] wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” he said.
