The essentials of the day before

  • Hamas has declared that it wants a "complete" ceasefire with Israel before any agreement on the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

  • “Very important and productive work has been accomplished and there is real hope for the future,” Antony Blinken said Monday of truce negotiations.

  • Tehran "has no link and has nothing to do with the attack on the American base", affirmed Iran's permanent representation at the UN after the death of three American soldiers in Jordan. A drone attack to which Joe Biden promised to respond, targeting pro-Iran groups. This is the first time that American soldiers have been killed in the Middle East since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, once again raising fears of an escalation of tensions.

  • Twelve countries have announced that they are suspending their funding to UNRWA, 12 of whose members are suspected by Israel of having been involved in the Hamas attack on October 7. In the absence of sustainable funding, UNRWA declared that it would be impossible to continue its assistance mission in Gaza and the region beyond February.

Read alsoKidnapping, attack on a kibbutz... Israel details its accusations against UNRWA

  • The Hamas Ministry of Health announced a death toll of 26,637 people in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7.

Please note: the number of victims is provided by the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of Health.

The ministry collects information provided by hospitals in the enclave and by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The Gaza Health Ministry does not indicate how the Palestinians were killed, whether by Israeli airstrikes and/or barrages or missed Palestinian rocket attacks. It describes all victims as victims of "Israeli aggression" and also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

During the four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, United Nations agencies regularly cited Health Ministry figures in their reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent also use these figures.

In the aftermath of previous episodes of war, the United Nations Humanitarian Office published casualty figures based on its own research into medical records. The UN figures largely agree with those of the Gaza Ministry of Health, with a few differences.

To learn more about the reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, click here or here.

(France 24 with AP)

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