The essentials of the day before

  • King Abdullah II called on Monday for an “immediately lasting ceasefire” in Gaza in front of Joe Biden, who preferred to evoke a pause “of at least six weeks” as part of an agreement, which remains to be found, on the release of hostages still held in the enclave.

  • Israeli security services have released two hostages kidnapped on October 7 by Hamas during an operation overnight from Sunday to Monday in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Also read: The “Philadelphia Corridor”: a goal for Netanyahu, a red line for Egypt

  • The Israeli army also carried out a series of strikes against “terrorist” targets in the town located on the Egyptian border and the final target of its offensive. These nighttime raids left 67 dead, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

  • An Israeli government spokesperson said that Hamas troops have been reduced by half since the start of the conflict in Gaza, with more than 12,000 fighters killed as well as a large number of wounded or captured.

  • The Hamas Ministry of Health announced a death toll of 28,340 people, the majority women, children and adolescents, in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement. It also reported a total of 164 deaths in the last 24 hours, and 67,984 people injured since the start of the war.

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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