RAFAH: The health ministry in Gaza said Monday that at least 36,479 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the territory during nearly eight months of Israeli bombardments.
The ministry said that the toll includes at least 40 deaths over the past 24 hours, adding that 82,777 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
Amid mounting doubts about a proposed ceasefire and hostage release plan outlined by US President Joe Biden, Israel continues relentless attacks, especially in Gaza’s far-southern Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where most Palestinian civilians have now been displaced, according to UN agencies.
Biden’s proposal, presented on Friday, outlines a three-phase plan aimed at ending the protracted conflict, securing the release of hostages, and facilitating the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has reiterated Israel’s commitment to pursuing the bombardment campaign until the dismantling governing capabilities of Hamas. Questions have arisen regarding the level of coordination between Biden’s administration and Netanyahu’s government, particularly concerning the duration of any proposed ceasefire and the terms of hostage release.
Despite the apparent discord, Israeli media reports suggest that Netanyahu may be open to implementing the first phase of the US-promoted plan independently, without committing to the broader objectives outlined by Biden. Mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize an agreement based on Biden’s proposed truce plan.
Meanwhile, Israel continues air strikes and artillery shelling in Rafah and Gaza City. Biden’s proposed three-stage plan envisions an initial withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza, followed by negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.
Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the bloody conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday that “we have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal… that Israel would say yes.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “commended” Israel on the plan in a phone call with war cabinet member Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the State Department said.
But for now, the bombardments and combat showed no sign of easing in the Gaza war soon entering its ninth month that has devastated the Palestinian coastal territory of 2.4 million people.
