Key Points
- Gaza death toll surpasses 57,400
- Gaza ceasefire talks resume in Doha
- UNRWA rejects Israeli allegations over its neutrality
- Palestinians slam US-backed displacement plan on Gaza
GAZA: At least 54 Palestinians, including children, were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, as negotiations between Hamas and Israel began in Doha on Sunday to reach a ceasefire and end the war in the Palestinian territory.
According to medical sources and local reports, 25 people were killed in Gaza city when Israeli warplanes bombed two homes sheltering displaced families in the Sheikh Radwan and Al-Nasr neighborhoods.
Gaza death toll surpasses 57,400
At least 57,418 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave.
In a recent statement, the ministry reported that 80 bodies were recovered and brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours. An additional 304 people were injured, bringing the total number of wounded to 136,261 since the start of the conflict.
“Many victims remain trapped under the rubble and in the streets, as rescue teams are unable to reach them,” the statement added.
Gaza ceasefire talks resume in Doha
International mediators trying to broker a ceasefire to end Israel’s war in Gaza have said that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel began in Doha on Sunday.
The renewed talks are expected to focus on the conditions for a potential ceasefire agreement, with particular attention to the details of a possible hostage release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is also seeking increased humanitarian aid for Gaza and assurances for a lasting end to the conflict.
President Donald Trump has floated a plan for an initial 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an increase in humanitarian supplies allowed into Gaza. The proposed truce calls for talks on ending the 21-month war altogether.
UNRWA questions Israeli allegation
The UN agency for Palestine refugees said Sunday that Israel has made unsubstantiated allegations regarding the organization’s neutrality, damaging its reputation and endangering the safety of its staff.
“Last month, I wrote to the Foreign Minister of Israel, requesting once again information and evidence to substantiate these allegations,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
“In my letter, I also noted that the Government of Israel has not pursued any prosecutions within its criminal justice system, which would also require the presentation of credible evidence. We have not received a response.
Thousands protest in Tel Aviv
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand the return of hostages held in Gaza, calling for a comprehensive agreement with Hamas.
According to Israeli media, demonstrators urged a “comprehensive, not selective, deal” that would ensure the release of all detainees—both living and deceased.
Palestinians slam US-backed plan on Gaza
Palestinian authorities denounced a US consulting firm and an Israel-backed aid group for plotting to forcibly displace Palestinians from blockaded Gaza under the guise of humanitarian aid.
According to the Financial Times, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) developed a financial model for a covert project named “Aurora,” aiming to displace more than half a million Palestinians from Gaza by offering “displacement packages” funded by foreign entities.
The British daily identified the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), created with US-Israeli support, as the executive front of the project.
Israeli army to send recruitment summons
The Israeli military has announced it will start sending draft notices to members of the ultra-Orthodox community this week as the law giving them exemptions from military service has expired, Al Jazeera reported.
The notices will be sent out in several phases in July until all 54,000 summonses are issued, the army said in a statement.
It added that the army intends to ramp up its “enforcement actions against draft evaders and deserters from the entire population”.
