DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Reports indicate that over 45,000 Palestinians have lost their lives due to the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, as confirmed by health officials on Monday. Meanwhile, discussions surrounding a potential ceasefire are reportedly making progress, following years of stalemate.
Efforts to broker a truce have been renewed by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed optimism on Monday, suggesting that negotiators might be closer to reaching an agreement than they have been since a previous ceasefire in November 2023, which lasted one week and allowed for the release of 105 hostages. “It appears that an opportunity is arising due to Hamas’s need to be more accommodating, and I genuinely hope we can move forward in a factual manner,” Katz stated ahead of a closed session with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Last month, an agreement for a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon that is allied with Hamas.
Palestinian health authorities have reported the death toll in Gaza now stands at 45,028, with 106,962 individuals injured since the conflict began. Officials warn that the actual numbers may be even higher, as many bodies remain trapped under debris or in areas that are inaccessible to medical teams. The statistics released by the health ministry do not differentiate between combatants and civilians; however, they estimate that over half of those killed are women and children. According to the Israeli military, more than 17,000 militants have been killed, although no evidence has been provided to substantiate that claim.
This conflict marks the deadliest series of confrontations between Israel and Hamas, with the death toll representing approximately 2% of Gaza’s pre-war population of around 2.3 million.
In the last 24 hours, more than 50 deceased individuals have been brought to hospitals throughout the ravaged territory, as stated by Gaza’s Health Ministry. Among the latest casualties were ten people—including a family of four—who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City.
Israel asserts that Hamas is accountable for the civilian casualties, claiming the group operates from within civilian zones across the densely populated Gaza Strip. Conversely, human rights organizations and Palestinian sources argue that Israel has not taken adequate measures to minimize civilian fatalities.
The conflict ignited when Hamas militants launched an assault into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities, mainly among civilians, and the abduction of 250 people. In retaliation, Israel commenced an extensive bombing campaign and launched a ground operation into Gaza. Currently, around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with at least one-third believed to be deceased. Most hostages were released during a ceasefire agreement last year.
A recent airstrike on a school in Khan Younis on Sunday resulted in the deaths of at least 13 individuals, including six children and two women, as reported by Nasser Hospital. Initially, hospital officials stated that 16 had perished but later clarified that three of the bodies were victims of a different strike.
Louise Wateridge, a representative for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, spoke about her meeting with children injured in the Sunday attack. She recounted the story of a 17-year-old girl who sustained severe leg injuries and shrapnel wounds. The girl, who survived along with her twin sister and three other siblings, tragically lost their mother. Wateridge shared that one of the sisters described the harrowing experience, stating, “Her mother’s bones were crushed under the rubble. There was nothing they could do to save her.”
The Israeli military admitted to targeting Hamas fighters who were allegedly operating from a command center located within a former school in Khan Younis, but no supporting evidence was provided.
In central Gaza, mourners gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of a Palestinian journalist employed by Al Jazeera, who was killed in the recent airstrike that struck Gaza’s civil defense agency. Ahmad Baker Al-Louh, 39, had been reporting on rescue operations for a family that had been injured in a prior bombing.
The airstrike also claimed the lives of three civil defense personnel, including the local chief of the agency, as per reports from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The civil defense agency is the primary rescue organization in Gaza and operates under the Hamas administration.
The International Federation of Journalists disclosed last week that 104 journalists and media workers were killed in 2024, with more than half of those fatalities occurring in Gaza. The Israeli military stated that its strike was aimed at Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in a command center situated within the Civil Defense offices. They accused the journalist of being affiliated with Islamic Jihad, a claim that his colleagues in Gaza refuted.
Gaza’s civil defense officials dismissed the accusations, with Mahmoud al-Lawh, the journalist’s cousin, expressing disbelief at the Israeli military’s claims. “We were stunned by the statement from the Israeli occupation,” he said. “These claims are lies and misleading to cover up this crime.”
