Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since October 7, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said Thursday. The grim milestone came as Israeli, US and Egyptian officials gathered in Doha for a new round of peace talks despite Hamas's refusal to take part. 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This blog is no longer being updated.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:
- Qatar is set to host Gaza ceasefire talks on Thursday, seeking a so-far elusive agreement that the United States hopes would stop Iran striking Israel and avert a wider war.
- An Israeli air strike on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank killed two Palestinians on Thursday as Jewish worshippers visited a nearby disputed holy site, Palestinian sources and Israeli army said.
- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied on Thursday a report that he had spoken the previous day with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump about Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks.
- At least 40,005 Palestinians have been killed and 92,401 wounded in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
Yesterday's key developments:
- The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Wednesday it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks Thursday in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that could hold back an expected Iranian attack on Israel. Mediators are, however, expected to brief Hamas after the talks.
- Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas met with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday following a visit to Moscow.
About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
