ISRAELI forces launch a new ground assault on Rafah in southern Gaza as the death toll from Israel’s attacks on Saturday rises to 24.
This is as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel has submitted a counter-proposal after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire plan put forward by Egypt and Qatar.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are set to observe another Eid al-Fitr with little to eat, as Ramadan draws to an end nearly one month after Israel blocked all food and other goods from entering the enclave.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 50,277 Palestinians are confirmed dead and 114,095 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office also updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of Palestinians missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks and more than 200 taken captive.
Also, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) says its remaining food stock in Gaza could be depleted in about 10 days, leaving hundreds of thousands without meals.
The WFP said that its flour supply in Gaza – where Israel has blocked aid from entering for over four weeks – can sustain bakeries serving 800,000 people only until Tuesday. Without restocking, overall food supplies could be exhausted within 10 days.
As a “last resort” once all other food is exhausted, it has emergency stocks of fortified nutritional biscuits for 415,000 people.
“WFP urges all parties to prioritize the needs of civilians, the protection of humanitarian workers and UN personnel, and access for aid to enter Gaza immediately,” the agency said in a statement.
