 "Qatar reports progress in Gaza ceasefire talks as death toll reaches 52,243")
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani confirmed on Sunday that there had been some progress in the ongoing ceasefire talks in Doha aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas conflict. The discussions followed a Thursday meeting between Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea and the Qatari prime minister.
Speaking at a news conference, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani reported “a bit of progress”, in response to questions about reports of a Thursday meeting in Doha Between Israel’s Mossad spy agency chief David Barnea and the Qatari prime minster.
In the Gaza Strip, hospitals received the remains of 51 Palestinians over the past 24 hours, with the total death toll now reaching 52,243. The Ministry of Health reported that nearly 700 bodies had recently been processed and included in the updated count, many recovered from the rubble of previous strikes.
The death toll has been mounting since Israel resumed its bombardment on March 18, ending a brief ceasefire. Israel’s airstrikes have intensified, and ground forces have expanded their control, particularly around the southern city of Rafah, now securing around 50% of Gaza’s territory.
Israel has also sealed off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, for nearly 60 days. Aid groups say supplies will soon run out and that thousands of children are malnourished.
Israeli authorities say the renewed offensive and tightened blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and all the hostages are returned.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire reached in January.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and took 251 people hostage. Most have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says women and children make up most of the Palestinian deaths, but does not say how many were militants or civilians. It says another 117,600 people have been wounded in the war.
The overall tally includes 2,151 dead and 5,598 wounded since Israel resumed the war last month.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and it blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in densely populated areas.
Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in squalid tent camps or bombed-out buildings.
With inputs from agencies
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