The essentials of the day before

  • It is "not possible" to replace the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, insisted Thursday the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

  • The Israeli army has intensified its strikes on Rafah, heightening fears about the fate of more than a million Palestinians trapped in this city in the Gaza Strip.

  • The UN human rights chief said the destruction by the Israeli army of buildings in the border area with Israel in Gaza, with the aim of creating a "buffer zone", constituted a "war crime".

  • A new round of negotiations between Hamas and the Israelis, with the mediation of Egypt and Qatar, opened in Cairo.

  • Hamas is still "open" to negotiations for a ceasefire despite the rejection of its latest proposals by Israel, according to an official close to the Palestinian Islamist movement.

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 Health Ministry in Gaza does not indicate how the Palestinians were killed, whether by Israeli airstrikes and/or barrages or failed 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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