Israel's military announced Sunday it had withdrawn its forces from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, wrapping up a key phase in its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group and bringing its troop presence in the territory to one of the lowest levels since the six-month war began. But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday that troops were pulled out "to prepare for future missions, including... in Rafah". Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, please click here.
Summary:
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel was just “one step away from victory” in Gaza, adding that he would not agree to a ceasefire “without the return of hostages” during a cabinet address on Sunday.
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Israel on Sunday pulled its troops out of parts of southern Gaza, including the city of Khan Younis, the military said. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that troops were pulled out "to prepare for future missions, including... in Rafah".
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An Israeli delegation will take part in the latest round of negotiations in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce and hostage release deal, a government official said on Sunday. A Hamas delegation headed by the group's deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, will also head to Cairo, the group said Saturday.
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Egypt's Al-Qahera news reported Saturday that CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani would join Egyptian officials for indirect talks from Sunday between Israeli and Hamas delegations.
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The Israeli military’s killing of seven aid workers in Gaza has triggered unprecedented criticism from European leaders, who are stepping up calls for a ceasefire and in some cases halting arms sales to Israel as the war’s toll mounts.
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At least 33,175 Palestinians have been killed and 75,886 wounded since Israel began its offensive on Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Around 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
Yesterday's key developments:
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Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities on Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and call for new elections.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose post is largely ceremonial, said on Saturday that Israel was approaching the half-year mark in a “bloody and difficult war”.
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Israel's army said on Saturday its troops recovered the body of a hostage abducted by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks on southern Israel. "The body of the abductee Elad Katzir … was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to Israeli territory", the army said in a statement.
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Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Saturday that information from Israel about the death of an Australian aid worker killed in a Gaza air strike was "not sufficient".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.
The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
