The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced, on Sunday, that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip had risen to 33,729 deaths and 76,371 injured. It also announced that the Israeli occupation had committed 4 new massacres within 24 hours, amid the occupation’s targeting of displaced persons returning to the northern Strip.
The Ministry added that a large number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defence crews are unable to reach them.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli army renewed its insistence on preventing the return of displaced people to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, considering it a “war zone.”
The spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichai Adraee, clarified that reports claiming Israeli forces are permitting Palestinian residents to return to the northern Gaza Strip are unfounded and purely speculative.
He emphasised that “the Israeli army is not facilitating the return of residents via either Salah al-Din (east) or Al-Rashid Street (west)” and cautioned Palestinians against nearing the Israeli military presence in the northern Gaza Strip, highlighting that “the area remains a conflict zone” and reiterating that Israel will not permit reentry.
During the ceasefire negotiations, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is adamant about the repatriation of displaced individuals to the northern Gaza Strip. This stipulation is one of several prerequisites for finalizing a prisoner exchange agreement with Israel, which would lead to a cessation of hostilities in the region.
Israel continues its devastating war on Gaza, despite the Security Council issuing an immediate ceasefire resolution, and despite its first appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad), which is in charge of negotiations with Hamas regarding the truce in the Gaza Strip, announced that the movement rejected the truce proposal, the day after it confirmed that it had delivered its response to the mediators.
The Mossad said in a statement distributed by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday: “The rejection of the proposal shows that the head of the movement’s political bureau in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, does not want a humanitarian agreement nor the return of the hostages” who have been detained in the Strip since 7 October, which was the spark for the outbreak of war in Gaza.
