The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported today a devastating new milestone in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, officially stating that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. The ministry detailed that 40,005 people have lost their lives in Israeli attacks, with an additional 92,401 wounded.
This comes as mediated talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and negotiating a prisoner-release deal have reconvened in Doha. Officials from Qatar, Egypt, the United States, and Israel are attending the talks, though it remains unclear whether Hamas is directly involved, Reuters reported.
Many news agencies reported on Wednesday that Hamas has stated it would not be participating in the new ceasefire talks. The group insisted on adhering to the previously proposed terms and argue that new negotiations would allow Israel to impose additional conditions and prolong the war.
The number that we’re looking at is conservative. There are still those who are missing, whose whereabouts are unknown by family members. The relatives do not know if their loved ones are detained, buried under the rubble or simply missing, he explained.
Grave-diggers are often forced to stack graves on top of each other, with many marked only by rubble or plastic placards.
To add to this devastation, war has also disrupted existing burial sites. Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 20 cemeteries through airstrikes and ground offensives, according to Al Jazeera.
While mediators convene in Doha to revive truce talks and secure and hostage-prisoner deal, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced that a fighter guarding an Israeli captive acted in a vengeful manner after learning that his two children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Taking responsibility, Obeida expressed regret over the incident, stating it did not reflect the group’s ethics or religious teachings, and vowed to tighten control over fighters in similar situations.
