United News of Bangladesh

Mahmoud Hammad, a father from Gaza City, is painstakingly digging through the rubble of his destroyed home, searching for the remains of his wife, five children, and unborn daughter who were killed more than two years ago in an Israeli airstrike. Using picks, shovels, and his hands, Hammad sifts dirt through a large sieve, collecting tiny bones that he believes belong to his unborn baby girl. “I won’t find them all,” he said, describing months of labor in the debris of what once was his family home. Around 8,000 people remain buried under rubble across Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, as retrieving bodies during Israel’s military campaign was nearly impossible. Since a ceasefire deal in October, recovery efforts have increased, though they are hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and ongoing military control in parts of the territory. Hammad survived the December 6, 2023, airstrike that destroyed the six-story building where he lived with his family in the Sabra neighborhood. His wife, nine months pregnant, and their children aged 8 to 16 were killed along with his brother, sister-in-law, and their four children. Hammad was hospitalized with multiple injuries but returned to the ruins to continue searching for his family. Since the ceasefire, more than 700 bodies have been recovered from collapsed buildings, bringing Gaza’s confirmed death toll to over 72,000. The UN reports that Israeli bombardment destroyed or damaged 81 percent of Gaza’s 250,000 buildings, leaving the enclave with roughly 61 million tons of rubble — a volume equivalent to 15 Great Pyramids of Giza. Rescue operations remain slow due to restrictions on heavy machinery and ongoing Israeli military presence. Hammad said discovering the fragments of his unborn daughter has given him hope of eventually recovering and burying the rest of his family properly.

Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling targeted areas east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday, causing further casualties among Palestinians, as violence persisted across Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The seventh group of wounded Palestinians returned to Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Meanwhile, Gaza held its first organised football tournament in over two years, with young players expressing mixed emotions amid ongoing hardships. “Life is difficult, but playing football gives a little joy,” said 21-year-old Youssef Jendiya, whose team, Jabalia Youth, faced Al-Sadaqa at the Palestine Pitch in Gaza City. Humanitarian sources reported that Israeli forces continued raids across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Residents in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, were assaulted by Israeli troops. In the northern Jordan Valley, Israeli settlers wounded two Palestinians with pepper spray. At least 15 families in Deir al-Dik village near Jericho were displaced due to ongoing settler attacks, accompanied by land-levelling operations. Since October 2023, Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 1,113 Palestinians, including 230 children, and wounded over 11,111 people. More than 21,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned, with 3,358 held without charges. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described recent Israeli policies in the West Bank as an attempt at ethnic cleansing to facilitate eventual annexation. He criticized the government for failing to restrain violent settler activities, accusing authorities of tacitly supporting the expansion. In diplomatic developments, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with US President Donald Trump over the phone, discussing the ongoing regional tensions and efforts to strengthen security and peace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House, with discussions expected to focus on Gaza and ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations. The violence in Gaza has already violated the ceasefire agreement over 1,620 times since October 2025, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, resulting in 586 deaths and 1,558 injuries. Israeli attacks have targeted civilians, residential areas, and properties, while 50 Palestinians were detained in the same period. The humanitarian situation remains dire as air strikes, artillery shelling, and raids continue to affect daily life in Gaza and the West Bank, with widespread destruction and displacement compounding the ongoing crisis.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 72,027, with 171,651 others wounded since Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza-based health authorities said on Saturday. In a press statement, the authorities said that 174 deaths from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6 were added to the official count, following approval by the relevant government committee. 576 Palestinians have been killed and 1,543 others wounded since a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on Oct. 10, it added. In a separate statement, the health authorities said that the remaining functioning hospitals in the Gaza Strip, struggling to continue providing services, have become mere waiting rooms for thousands of patients, adding that many of the wounded face an uncertain fate. The war has made sustaining healthcare a daily struggle, severely hindering recovery and the revival of specialized medical services, the authorities said. The statement warned that basic painkillers have become a rare luxury due to shortages. It also said that 46 percent of essential medicines, 66 percent of medical supplies and 84 percent of laboratory and blood bank materials are completely out of stock. It added that cancer treatment, hematology, surgery, intensive care and primary healthcare are among the hardest hit, with the limited supplies available falling far short of demand.

Israeli air and ground strikes in Gaza killed at least 19 Palestinians, mostly women and children, by midday Wednesday, hospital officials said, amid rising tensions following a militant attack on Israeli troops. Among the dead were five children—including a 5-month-old and a 10-day-old infant—seven women, and a paramedic, according to Gaza’s Shifa and Nasser hospitals. The casualties mark the latest fatalities in Gaza since a U.S.-backed ceasefire, effective from Oct. 10, 2025, which has repeatedly been punctuated by deadly Israeli strikes. More than 530 Palestinians have been killed during this period, the Gaza health ministry reported. “The genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip continues,” said Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, in a Facebook post. “Where is the ceasefire? Where are the mediators?” An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel would continue targeting sites in Gaza. The military has defended its strikes since the ceasefire by citing militant attacks on Israeli soldiers or Hamas violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began. Early Wednesday, Israeli troops fired on a building in Gaza’s Tuffah neighborhood, killing at least 11 people, mostly from the same family. The victims included two parents, their 10-day-old daughter, her 5-month-old cousin, and their grandmother. The military said its forces returned fire after militants opened fire on Israeli troops, seriously wounding a reservist. Israel described the attack as a violation of the ceasefire deal. Subsequent strikes hit multiple areas across Gaza. An Israeli attack on a family tent in southern Khan Younis killed three people, including a 12-year-old boy, according to Nasser Hospital. Tank shelling in Zaytoun, eastern Gaza City, killed another three Palestinians, including a husband and wife, Shifa Hospital said. A strike on a tent in Muwasi, Khan Younis, killed at least two people and injured five others, including Hussein Hassan Hussein al-Semieri, a paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent, the field hospital reported. Since the start of the conflict, over 71,800 Palestinians have been killed, the Gaza health ministry said, without specifying civilian or militant numbers. The ministry, run by Hamas, maintains detailed casualty records considered generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Palestinians have begun passing through the Rafah border crossing linking the Gaza Strip and Egypt following its reopening for passenger movement. The crossing had been mostly shut since May 2024, after Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side. The long-awaited reopening forms a central element of the first phase of a ceasefire framework proposed by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Hamas, which took effect in October. Under the arrangement, only a limited number of people, several dozen each day, will be permitted to cross in either direction. The passage of humanitarian assistance and commercial goods through the crossing remains prohibited. About 20,000 Palestinians who are sick or wounded are awaiting permission to leave Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad. According to Israeli media reports, only 50 patients will be allowed to exit the territory each day, accompanied by two relatives each. In addition, just 50 of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be permitted to return daily. The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to supervise the evacuation process. Patients will be transported by bus from areas under Hamas control, passing through zones controlled by the Israeli military before reaching the Rafah crossing, BBC News reported. Read More: Israel to reopen Gaza–Egypt crossing after extended shutdown Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone crossing the Yellow Line, the boundary of Israeli-controlled territory under the ceasefire agreement, would be “met with fire”. Under the arrangements, the Rafah crossing will be operated by European Union monitors alongside local Palestinian staff, while Israel will conduct security checks remotely. Israeli officials said a trial reopening of the crossing was successfully completed on Sunday. A Palestinian official familiar with the trial phase told the BBC that around 30 Palestinian staff members had reached the Egyptian side of the crossing ahead of full operations. The reopening follows provisions in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which states that the crossing will operate under mechanisms used during a previous ceasefire last January. Before Israel seized control of Rafah in 2024, the crossing served as Gaza’s primary exit route and a key channel for humanitarian aid.   With inputs from BBC

Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday watched with cautious hope as preparations got underway to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the territory’s main gateway to the outside world, with Israel saying limited travel would resume from Monday under the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas. Workers were seen readying the crossing, which has been largely shut since Israel seized control of it in May 2024. Many Gazans welcomed the move but voiced frustration over strict limits on the number of people allowed to cross. “Opening the crossing is a good step, but setting a cap on how many people can pass through is a real problem,” said Ghalia Abu Mustafa from Khan Younis. Others stressed the urgent need for medical travel. Suhaila Al-Astal, displaced from Rafah, said her sick daughter required treatment abroad and called for the crossing to be opened permanently and in both directions. Israel said the crossing had been opened on a trial basis and that Gaza residents would be allowed to begin crossing from Monday, though only in small numbers initially. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will allow 50 medical patients to leave Gaza each day. According to an official familiar with the talks, each patient will be permitted to travel with two relatives, while up to 50 Palestinians who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return daily. Zaher al-Wahidi, head of documentation at Gaza’s Health Ministry, said the ministry had not yet been officially informed about the start of medical evacuations. Around 20,000 Palestinians in need of medical care are hoping to leave Gaza via Rafah, while thousands more outside the enclave are seeking to return. Under the new arrangement, Israel and Egypt will vet those entering and leaving through the crossing, which will be overseen by European Union border monitors. Israeli officials say the number of travelers could increase gradually if the system functions smoothly. The announcement came a day after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including several children, according to hospital officials, marking one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce. Nicolay Mladenov, head of US President Donald Trump’s newly established Gaza peace board, urged all sides to exercise restraint and said efforts were under way with a newly selected Palestinian committee to prevent further incidents. Meanwhile, Israel’s Diaspora Ministry said it was moving to end the operations of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza by Feb. 28. Israel had suspended the medical charity’s activities in December after it declined to comply with new registration rules requiring aid groups to submit lists of local staff, arguing the measures could put Palestinian employees at risk. Doctors Without Borders warned that the decision would have a devastating impact on health services in Gaza, where it supports six hospitals, runs two field hospitals, eight primary health centers and clinics, and operates two of the enclave’s five stabilization centers for severely malnourished children. Israel has suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations under the new rules, saying they are needed to prevent militant infiltration, while aid groups say the restrictions harm civilians in desperate need. Palestinian security officers crossed through the Egyptian side of Rafah on Sunday to join the EU mission supervising the crossing, according to an Egyptian official. Ambulances were also seen passing through the Egyptian gate. Before the war, Rafah was Gaza’s primary crossing for people traveling in and out of the territory. Israel says its takeover of the crossing last year was aimed at stopping weapons smuggling by Hamas. The crossing was briefly opened for medical evacuations during a temporary ceasefire in early 2025 but remained closed afterward until recent developments, including the recovery of the remains of the last hostage in Gaza. Under the ceasefire terms, Israeli forces continue to control the area between the Rafah crossing and densely populated parts of Gaza. Egypt has repeatedly said the crossing must operate in both directions, amid concerns it could otherwise be used to force Palestinians out of the enclave. The ceasefire paused more than two years of fighting that began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed 71,795 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, including 523 since the ceasefire began. The first phase of the truce includes hostage and prisoner exchanges, increased humanitarian aid and a partial Israeli troop withdrawal. A more complex second phase envisions new governance arrangements for Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, the disarmament of Hamas and steps toward reconstruction.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 Palestinians, including women and children, across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said, marking one of the deadliest days since an October ceasefire aimed at halting the fighting. The strikes hit sites in both northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, according to hospitals that received the bodies. Among the victims were two women and six children from two separate families. The latest violence came a day before the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is due to reopen in Gaza’s southernmost city. All border crossings into the territory have remained closed since the war began. The limited reopening of Rafah is seen as the first significant move in the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire now taking shape. Key and contentious issues in this phase include reopening borders, demilitarising the Gaza Strip after nearly two decades of Hamas rule and setting up a new governing authority to oversee reconstruction. For Palestinians, Rafah is considered a vital lifeline, particularly for tens of thousands of patients seeking medical treatment outside Gaza, where most health facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Despite the ceasefire progress, Saturday’s strikes underscored that fatalities continue to mount. Shifa Hospital said an early morning strike in Gaza City killed three children along with their aunt and grandmother, while the children’s mother survived. In the south, Nasser Hospital reported that a strike on a tent camp triggered a fire, killing seven people, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren. Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct 10. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-led administration, keeps detailed casualty records that are generally regarded as reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported strikes.

Israel has for the first time acknowledged the Gaza death toll compiled by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which estimates over 70,000 killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. Thousands more remain missing under rubble, and at least 440 people have died of starvation after Israel restricted aid access, reports Al Jazeera. During the conflict, Israel repeatedly denied or downplayed Palestinian figures, issuing its own fluctuating statistics while accusing Gaza authorities of exaggeration. Investigations and eyewitness reports, however, confirmed that a vast majority of those killed were civilians, including children and women. Israeli forces were also implicated in high-profile killings, such as five-year-old Hind Rajab, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and 15 emergency responders whose bodies were found in a mass grave in southern Gaza. In each case, Israel initially rejected responsibility, later attributing the deaths to operational errors, crossfire, or poor visibility. Experts say Israel’s acknowledgment is largely strategic. Sultan Barakat, a public policy professor, told Al Jazeera that international scrutiny, increased UN access, and ongoing rubble clearance made continued denial untenable. Accepting the figures allows Israel to preserve institutional credibility, signal seriousness to allies like the US and European countries, and prepare a legal record for potential future inquiries without admitting wrongdoing. This shift reflects a recurring pattern in Israel’s military operations, where denial and manipulation of casualty figures are followed by selective acceptance once evidence becomes indisputable. Analysts also note that delaying acknowledgment serves both diplomatic and legal purposes, allowing Israel to control messaging and limit accountability in international forums.  

Israel said on Sunday its military has launched a large-scale operation in Gaza to locate the last remaining hostage, as international mediators press Israel and Hamas to advance to the next phase of a ceasefire. The announcement came as Israel’s Cabinet met to consider reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a key step tied to the recovery of the final hostage, Ran Gvili. The meeting followed talks a day earlier between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior US envoys on the ceasefire’s next stage. Netanyahu’s office said late Sunday that Israel would open the Rafah crossing after the operation is completed, in line with understandings reached with the United States. Israeli media quoted military officials as saying the search could take several days. The return of all remaining hostages, whether alive or dead, is a central requirement of the first phase of the ceasefire that began on Oct 10. The previous hostage was recovered in early December. The military said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, separating Israeli-controlled areas. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said Gvili may be buried in the Shijaiya-Tuffah area of Gaza City, with rabbis and forensic experts assisting search teams. Gvili’s family has urged Israel not to proceed to the second ceasefire phase until his remains are returned, though the Trump administration has already said the next phase has begun. Separately, the closed headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem was set on fire overnight. UN officials said settlers were seen looting the compound, while Israel’s fire service worked to contain the blaze. UNRWA accused Israel of undermining its operations, a charge Israel denies.

Seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, have agreed to join US President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, according to a joint statement. Israel had earlier confirmed its participation. Trump on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin had also accepted the invitation, though Moscow later clarified it was still under consideration. The board, initially linked to ending the two-year Israel-Hamas conflict and overseeing Gaza reconstruction, does not specifically mention Palestine in its charter and appears aimed at taking on functions similar to the UN. Saudi Arabia said the Muslim-majority nations – Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Qatar – support efforts for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, reconstruction, and what they called a “just and lasting peace”. The body’s charter will take effect once three states formally agree, with member nations holding renewable three-year terms. Contributions of $1 billion will secure permanent seats. Trump will serve as chairman and US representative with authority to appoint executive board members. The White House last week named seven founding Executive Board members, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov. Phase one of the plan involved a ceasefire, partial prisoner exchange, limited Israeli withdrawal, and increased humanitarian aid. Israel says the second phase, including reconstruction and demilitarisation, will proceed only after the return of the last hostages. Humanitarian conditions remain fragile. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports over 460 Palestinian deaths from Israeli strikes since the ceasefire, while Israel reports three soldiers killed in Palestinian attacks. The board faces challenges, as Hamas has resisted disarming without recognition of a Palestinian state, and Israel has not fully committed to withdrawing from Gaza.   With inputs from BBC