GAZA: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Thursday reported that the death toll from ongoing relentless Israeli military bombardment has surpassed 24,620, mostly women and children, since October 7.
A ministry statement said 61,830 people have also been injured in the Palestinian territory during the war.
Meanwhile the European Parliament stopped short of calling for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, saying this should happen only if captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave were released and Hamas dismantled.
Three groups of EU lawmakers he socialists, centrists and greens had sought a resolution for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Gaza needs a non-military solution: Qatar
Qatar’s finance minister has warned that the war in Gaza will hurt economies across the Middle East if it is not stopped and that it urgently needs a non-military solution.
Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari said in Davos that the main issue in the Middle East is the Palestinian problem which cannot be fixed by military actions.
Qatar, whose is involved in talks on the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas, has also helped mediate in several regional conflicts including in Afghanistan.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan said that Israel should allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes.
The dire situation in Gaza has prompted urgent calls from UN agencies for increased access to aid, citing the looming threats of famine and disease.
Qatar announced on Wednesday that, through French mediation, an agreement had been reached, allowing medicine for hostages and aid to enter Gaza. Two planes, carrying a total of 61 tons of aid from Qatar and France, arrived in the Egyptian city of El-Arish near Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed relief at the deal, acknowledging it as a much-needed moment of respite, with 45 hostages expected to receive necessary medication.
Kitty van der Heijden, deputy executive director UNICEF terming the situation in Gaza as catastrophic has warned that the besieged enclave has become a graveyard for the children.
She stressed the urgent need for collective action to really address the situation for children on the ground.
According to the UN figures, 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 percent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced by the end of 2023.
The figures include Palestinian people who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.
The Israeli raids have almost destroyed entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza. Israeli ground troops have been facing heavy resistance from Hamas fighters in the area.
