Despite Ceasefire Declaration, Israeli Strikes Continue in Gaza, 73 Killed
Despite Ceasefire Declaration, Israeli Strikes Continue in Gaza, 73 Killed
Even before it could take effect, the ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas appears to be in jeopardy. Israel has suspended the approval of the agreement, accusing Hamas of retracting from parts of the deal. However, Hamas has denied these allegations. Despite the announcement of mutual agreement on the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue their deadly assaults in Gaza.
On Wednesday, mediators in Qatar announced that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, scheduled to take effect from Sunday.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that until mediators confirm that Hamas has accepted all the terms of the agreement, the cabinet meeting to approve the deal would not be convened.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a member of Hamas's political branch, commented that Israel's allegations were baseless. Another Hamas political member, Izzat al-Rishq, affirmed their commitment to the ceasefire deal announced by the mediators.
According to Al Jazeera, internal pressures have led the Israeli Prime Minister to delay the approval of the agreement. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to resign, warning that approving the ceasefire could lead to civil unrest.
Qatar University's Gulf Studies Center researcher Luciano Zakara expressed surprise at Israel's agreement to withdraw troops from the 14-kilometer-long Philadelphi Corridor near the Egypt-Gaza border. However, Israeli leaders are now hinting at not withdrawing, potentially jeopardizing the deal.
Zakara pointed out that if Netanyahu insists on maintaining troop presence, the responsibility for undermining the agreement would lie with Israel, not Hamas, since Israel made the last-minute changes.
Despite the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have continued their indiscriminate attacks on Gaza. Since the announcement, 73 people have been killed, and 230 others injured, according to Gaza’s emergency services. Among the dead are 20 children and 25 women.
Gaza's health ministry reported today that at least 81 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours. Over the past 15 months, 46,788 people have been killed, and 110,453 injured in Gaza due to the ongoing conflict.
The actual death toll in Gaza is believed to be higher. The health ministry’s figures are based on bodies brought to hospitals, but many remain under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
A study published in the medical journal The Lancet suggested that the actual number of fatalities in Gaza during the first nine months of Israeli attacks was about 41% higher than the health ministry's figures.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing over 1,100 people, according to Israeli claims. Around 240 people were taken hostage to Gaza. Under temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange arrangements, about 100 of them have been released, while some have died in Israeli attacks. From that day, Israel began its relentless assaults on Gaza.
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