Gaza's Health Ministry reports that Israel targeted the largest hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night, resulting in one death, several injuries, and a significant fire. The strike hit the surgical building of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, just days after the hospital was overwhelmed with casualties following Israel’s resumption of attacks last week. Israel's military confirmed the strike, claiming it targeted a Hamas militant operating at the hospital. Israel attributes civilian deaths to Hamas, accusing them of operating in densely populated areas. Israeli airstrikes kill senior Hamas leader, 18 others; Houthis launch missile toward Israel Nasser Hospital, like many other medical facilities in Gaza, has sustained damage from Israeli airstrikes throughout the conflict. The Health Ministry also reported that over 50,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict, with the military stating that they have killed dozens of militants since the end of a ceasefire earlier this week. On the political front, public unrest in Israel has been growing, with protests outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office and calls for changes in direction. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel's military ordered thousands of people to leave the severely damaged Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, causing more displacement amidst ongoing strikes. Israel also confirmed the death of a Hamas leader, Salah Bardawil, in an airstrike in Muwasi, along with his wife. In southern Gaza, hospitals reported receiving 24 more bodies from overnight strikes, including several women and children. The Health Ministry's figures show a staggering death toll, including over 15,000 children. Meanwhile, Israel claims it has killed around 20,000 militants, although they have not provided evidence. Israel retaliates with strikes on Lebanon after rocket attack The ceasefire that had been in place since January has collapsed, with no progress in the planned negotiations for the next phase. Additionally, Israel's government passed a measure to create 13 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the total number of settlements to 140, despite international opposition.

When the first explosions struck Gaza at around 1:30 am this week, a visiting British doctor stepped onto the balcony of a hospital in Khan Younis and watched as missiles streaked across the sky before slamming into the city. Beside him, a Palestinian surgeon gasped, “Oh no. Oh no.” After two months of ceasefire, the devastation of Israeli bombardment had returned. The experienced surgeon turned to the visiting doctor, Sakib Rokadiya, and urged him to head to the emergency ward. Israel orders troops to go deeper into Gaza Soon, torn bodies poured in—brought by ambulances, donkey carts, or carried by desperate relatives. What shocked the doctors most was the number of children. “Child after child, young patient after young patient,” Rokadiya recalled. “The vast majority were women, children, and the elderly.” Thus began a chaotic 24 hours at Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza. The sudden Israeli offensive shattered the ceasefire that had been in place since mid-January, aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and accepting revised terms of the truce. It became one of the deadliest days in the 17-month war. The aerial assaults killed 409 people across Gaza, including 173 children and 88 women, while hundreds more were wounded, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. More than 300 casualties inundated Nasser Hospital. Like other hospitals in Gaza, it had suffered damage from Israeli raids and airstrikes throughout the war, leaving it without essential equipment and running low on antibiotics and other necessities. After the first phase of the ceasefire expired on March 2, Israel blocked the entry of medicine, food, and supplies into Gaza. Triage The hospital’s emergency ward overflowed with the wounded, described to The Associated Press by Rokadiya and Tanya Haj-Hassan, an American paediatrician—both volunteers with the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. The injured came from a tent camp, where missiles had ignited a fire, and from homes struck in Khan Younis and Rafah, further south. A nurse was desperately trying to resuscitate a boy sprawled on the floor, shrapnel embedded in his heart. Nearby, a young man sat trembling, most of his arm missing. A barefoot boy carried in his younger brother, no older than four, whose foot had been blown off. Blood covered the floor, mixed with fragments of bone and tissue. “I was overwhelmed, running from corner to corner, trying to decide who to prioritise, who to send to surgery, who to declare beyond saving,” Haj-Hassan said. “It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and we had to make it repeatedly,” she said in a voice message. Some wounds were easy to overlook. One little girl seemed fine—she only felt pain when she breathed, she told Haj-Hassan. But once undressed, doctors realised she was bleeding into her lungs. Looking through the curly hair of another girl, Haj-Hassan discovered shrapnel embedded in her brain. Two or three injured patients were crammed onto gurneys and rushed to surgery, Rokadiya said. He scribbled notes on slips of paper or directly onto patients’ skin—one for surgery, another for a scan. He wrote names when he could, but many children arrived with no known relatives, their parents either dead, wounded, or lost in the chaos. Often, he simply wrote “UNKNOWN.” In the Operating Room Dr Feroze Sidhwa, an American trauma surgeon from California volunteering with the medical charity MedGlobal, rushed to the hospital’s designated area for the gravely wounded who still had a chance of survival. But the first child he saw—a girl around three or four years old—was beyond help. Her face was torn apart by shrapnel. “She was technically still alive,” Sidhwa said, but with so many other patients needing urgent care, “there was nothing we could do.” He had to tell the girl’s father that she was dying. Then he moved on, performing around 15 surgeries back to back. Palestinian surgeon Khaled Alserr and an Irish volunteer surgeon worked tirelessly alongside him. They operated on a 29-year-old woman with a shattered pelvis, her web of veins bleeding profusely. Despite their efforts, she died 10 hours later in the ICU. Another patient was a six-year-old boy with two holes in his heart, two in his colon, and three more in his stomach, Sidhwa said. They managed to repair the damage and even restarted his heart after he went into cardiac arrest. But he, too, died hours later. “They died because the ICU simply didn’t have the capacity to care for them,” Sidhwa said. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the hospital’s paediatrics and obstetrics department, explained that the ICU lacked critical antibiotics, among other essential supplies. Israel resumes Gaza war with broader goals and fewer limits Sidhwa reflected on his experience at Boston Medical Center when the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing happened, killing three people and injuring around 260 others. “Boston Medical couldn’t have handled the number of cases we saw at Nasser Hospital,” he said. The Hospital Staff Rokadiya was struck by the resilience of the hospital staff as they cared for each other while under immense pressure. Workers moved through the hospital, handing out water to exhausted doctors and nurses. Cleaners worked swiftly to remove the bloodied clothing, blankets, tissues, and medical waste piling up on the floors. At the same time, many staff members were dealing with personal tragedies. Alserr, the Palestinian surgeon, had to go to the morgue to identify the bodies of his wife’s father and brother. “The only thing I saw was a bundle of flesh and bones, melted and shattered,” he said in a voice message, without elaborating on how they were killed. Another staff member lost his wife and children. An anaesthesiologist—who had already lost his mother and 21 relatives earlier in the war—later received word that his father, brother, and cousin had been killed, Haj-Hassan said. The Aftermath Around 85 people died at Nasser Hospital that Tuesday, including about 40 children between the ages of one and 17, al-Farra reported. Airstrikes continued throughout the week, killing several dozen more. Among the dead were at least six senior Hamas figures. Israel has vowed to continue its offensive against Hamas, insisting the group must release more hostages, despite having disregarded ceasefire conditions requiring negotiations for a long-term end to the war. The Israeli government maintains it does not target civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths, arguing that the group operates within civilian areas. Tuesday’s bombardment also helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consolidate his political standing. The offensive secured the return of a right-wing party to his coalition, strengthening his government ahead of a crucial budget vote that could have led to its collapse. Haj-Hassan continues to check on the children in Nasser’s ICU. The girl with shrapnel in her brain remains unable to move her right side. Her mother, limping from her own injuries, came to see her and told Haj-Hassan that the little girl’s sisters had been killed. “I cannot begin to process or comprehend the scale of mass killing and the slaughter of families in their sleep that we are witnessing here,” Haj-Hassan said. “This cannot be the world we live in.”

A one-month-old girl was rescued from the rubble in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed her parents. On Thursday, as rescuers sifted through the debris of a collapsed apartment in Khan Younis, they heard the cries of a baby beneath the wreckage. Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 40, Say Hospitals Amidst shouts of “God is great,” a man emerged carrying the infant, wrapped in a blanket, and handed her to waiting paramedics. Despite being alive, the baby girl showed signs of distress as the paramedics checked her over. Her family, including her brother, mother, and father, perished in the airstrike. Rescuers noted that the baby had been trapped under the rubble since dawn. Hazen Attar, a civil defense worker, said, “She had been crying, then falling silent until we were able to free her.” The infant, identified as Ella Osama Abu Dagga, was born just 25 days earlier, during a fragile ceasefire that many hoped would end the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced nearly the entire population. The girl's grandparents were the only survivors from the family. The airstrike also claimed the lives of a neighboring family, including a father and his seven children. Rescuers were seen recovering the body of one of the children from the wreckage. Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday, ending the ceasefire and reigniting the conflict. Israel cited Hamas's rejection of a new ceasefire proposal as the reason for the renewed fighting. Since the resumption of strikes, nearly 600 people have been killed in Gaza, with the majority being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The strike that destroyed the girl's home targeted Abasan al-Kabira, a village near the Gaza-Israel border, killing at least 16 people. The area had been evacuated earlier by the Israeli military. The Israeli military insists it targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties, alleging that Hamas operates within residential areas. The military did not immediately comment on the recent airstrikes. Later, Israel reinstated a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City, which had been lifted under the ceasefire agreement. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel launches ground operation to retake key Gaza corridor In retaliation, Israel’s air and ground assaults have resulted in nearly 49,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel claims to have killed around 20,000 militants, though it has not provided evidence.

Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Thursday killed at least 40 Palestinians across Gaza, according to three hospitals. The attacks targeted homes in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as Beit Lahiya in the north. Israel resumed intense bombardments on Tuesday, breaking a ceasefire that had paused fighting and enabled the release of over two dozen hostages. Israeli officials blamed Hamas for the renewed conflict, accusing the group of rejecting an Israeli-backed proposal that differed from their prior agreement. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 400 Palestinians—primarily women and children—were killed on Tuesday alone. There have been no reports of Hamas launching rockets or carrying out attacks since fighting resumed. Israeli Ground Troops AdvanceFor the first time since the ceasefire took effect in January, Israeli ground troops moved deeper into Gaza on Wednesday, securing part of a corridor that divides the northern and southern regions of the territory. Israel has also cut off essential supplies, including food, fuel, and humanitarian aid, to Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents. Officials say military operations will continue until Hamas releases the 59 remaining hostages—35 of whom are believed to be dead—and relinquishes control of the territory. The Trump administration, which mediated the earlier ceasefire, has expressed full support for Israel. Hamas has stated that it will only release the hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, as outlined in the January agreement brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Israel launches ground operation to retake key Gaza corridor The militant group, which does not recognize Israel, has indicated a willingness to transfer power to the Palestinian Authority or a politically independent committee but refuses to disarm until Israel ends its long-standing occupation of lands Palestinians seek for a future state. Civilian CasualtiesIsrael has yet to comment on the latest airstrikes. The military maintains that its attacks target militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties, citing the group's presence in residential areas. The European Hospital in Rafah reported that 26 people, mostly women and children, were killed in strikes on two homes. One attack killed a father and his seven children. Meanwhile, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received seven bodies from an overnight airstrike on a home, and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya reported seven more deaths from a separate strike. Background of the WarThe war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a deadly assault into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. Many hostages have since been freed through ceasefire deals, with Israeli forces rescuing eight alive and recovering dozens of bodies. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. The Gaza Health Ministry reports nearly 49,000 Palestinian deaths, stating that more than half were women and children. While Israel claims to have killed about 20,000 militants, it has not provided evidence. Israeli strikes killing hundreds in Gaza are 'Only the Beginning': Netanyahu The war displaced nearly 90% of Gaza’s population at its peak, leaving vast devastation across the enclave. Many who returned home during the ceasefire found their neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Source: With input from agency 

In the early hours of Tuesday, Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, claiming to target dozens of Hamas positions in what it described as the most extensive attack since a ceasefire took effect in January. Palestinian officials reported at least 69 fatalities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the strikes were ordered due to stalled ceasefire negotiations. Officials described the operation as open-ended and anticipated further expansion. ISIS leader killed in Iraq, Iraqi prime minister says “Israel will now take increasingly forceful military action against Hamas,” Netanyahu’s office announced. The surprise offensive disrupted a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, raising fears of a full-scale resumption of the 17-month war, which has already claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives and caused widespread destruction in Gaza. The escalation also cast uncertainty over the fate of approximately two dozen Israeli hostages still believed to be alive in Hamas captivity. Hamas denounced the strikes as an “unprovoked escalation,” stating that they jeopardised the lives of the hostages. There was no immediate response from the U.S. However, over the weekend, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading mediation efforts alongside Egypt and Qatar, warned that Hamas must release the living hostages immediately “or face severe consequences.” An Israeli official, speaking anonymously about the ongoing military operation, stated that Israel was targeting Hamas' military leadership and infrastructure and planned to extend the assault beyond aerial bombardments. The official accused Hamas of using the ceasefire period to regroup and plan new attacks. In recent weeks, Hamas militants and security personnel had visibly returned to Gaza’s streets. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, warned that “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” unless the hostages were freed. “We will not halt our operations until all hostages are returned and our war objectives are fully achieved,” he asserted. Explosions echoed throughout Gaza, and hospitals reported receiving at least 69 bodies from the morning airstrikes. The territory’s civil defence agency indicated that rescue efforts were severely hindered due to multiple simultaneous strikes. Ceasefire negotiations had stalledThe airstrikes came two months after a ceasefire agreement had temporarily paused the war. During the first phase, Hamas released about three dozen hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, since the ceasefire ended two weeks ago, both sides have struggled to reach an agreement on a second phase that would involve the release of the remaining 60 hostages and a potential end to the war. Hamas has insisted that Israel must completely withdraw its forces and end the war in exchange for releasing the remaining hostages. Israel, on the other hand, has maintained that it will not stop fighting until Hamas' military and governing capabilities are dismantled and all hostages are freed. Iranian, Azerbaijani FMs hold phone talk over ties, regional issues Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to resume military operations. Earlier this month, he also halted the entry of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza to exert pressure on Hamas. “This escalation follows Hamas’ continued refusal to release our hostages and its rejection of all proposals from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators,” Netanyahu’s office stated on Tuesday. Hamas official Taher Nunu condemned the Israeli offensive, stating: “The international community now faces a moral test—either it allows the occupation army to resume its crimes, or it enforces an end to the aggression against Gaza’s innocent civilians.” Gaza was already facing a humanitarian crisisThe war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign that has since killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population. Gaza’s Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but reports that over half of the dead were women and children. The ceasefire had brought some temporary relief, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to what was left of their homes. However, Gaza remains devastated, with no immediate plans for reconstruction. A resumption of full-scale hostilities threatens to undo any progress made in alleviating the humanitarian crisis. An Israeli ground offensive could be especially lethal, as large numbers of civilians have now returned to their homes. Before the ceasefire, many had sought refuge in tent camps that provided relative protection from airstrikes. The return to fighting could also deepen internal tensions in Israel regarding the fate of the remaining hostages. Many of those who were released by Hamas described harsh conditions in captivity, leading to growing domestic pressure on the Israeli government to extend the ceasefire to secure the release of all hostages. Hostage families and supporters have repeatedly urged the government to prioritise negotiations. Tens of thousands of Israelis have recently taken part in mass demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Further protests are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday following Netanyahu’s controversial decision to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet. Critics view the move as an attempt to shift blame for the government’s failures in the October 7 attack and its handling of the war. Since the ceasefire took effect in mid-January, Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinians whom the military claims entered restricted areas or posed security threats. Despite ongoing tensions, the ceasefire had largely held without a major resurgence of violence. The first phase of the agreement had facilitated the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have continued efforts to broker a second phase of negotiations. Israel has proposed securing the release of half the remaining hostages in exchange for a commitment to further ceasefire talks. However, Hamas insists that both sides adhere to the original agreement, which calls for negotiations on a broader truce, the release of all hostages, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza, directing a sharply worded message after the White House confirmed that he had recently dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with the militant group. In a statement on his Truth Social platform soon after meeting at the White House with eight former hostages, Trump added that he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.” “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump said. “Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!” The pointed language from Trump came after the White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the militant group. Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha came as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. It’s the first known direct engagement between the United States and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine amid diplomatic spat White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide detail on the substance of talks, but said President Donald Trump has authorized his envoys to “talk to anyone.” Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries have served as mediators with Hamas for the U.S. and Israel since the group launched its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war. “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president ... believes is a good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said. Leavitt added that Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials, and noted that there are “American lives at stake.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office offered a terse acknowledgement of the U.S.-Hamas talks. “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas,” the prime minister’s office said. ‘If US wants war, we are ready’: China Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages — including Edan Alexander, an American citizen — as well as the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza. Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, led the direct talks with Hamas. Boehler, founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, was a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team during Trump’s first term that strove to win broader recognition of Israel in the Arab world. The talks, which took place last month, focused mainly on the release of American hostages, and a potential end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza, according to a Hamas official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that no progress was made but “the step itself is promising” and more talks are expected. Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped arrange the talks. The direct engagement comes as continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains uncertain. Trump has signaled that he has no intentions of pushing Netanyahu away from a return to combat if Hamas doesn’t agree to terms of a new ceasefire proposal, which the Israelis have billed as being drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase. Appeals court allows watchdog agency head’s removal as legal battle rages over Trump firing Trump on Wednesday welcomed eight former hostages — Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani — to the White House. “The President listened intently to their heartbreaking stories,” Leavitt said. "The hostages thanked President Trump for his steadfast efforts to bring all of the hostages home.” Keith Siegel, an Israeli-American released last month as part of the ceasefire, said they came to the White House to express their appreciation to Trump and Witkoff, the Mideast envoy. “We urged them to continue their enormous efforts. They have done so much. We trust them and we know they will get the job done to get all the rest of the 59 remaining hostages held in Gaza back to their families,” he said in a statement. The talks between U.S. and Hamas officials were first reported earlier Wednesday by the news site Axios. Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Hamas has stated that no progress has been made in the indirect talks with Israel regarding the second phase of the ceasefire. It is uncertain whether the talks will resume on Saturday, as reported by a senior Hamas official. The first phase of the ceasefire halted 15 months of conflict in Gaza, leading to the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel's ceasefires with Hezbollah, Hamas uncertain again This first phase will end on Saturday, but fighting is not expected to resume while negotiations for the second phase continue. The second phase aims to bring an end to the war in Gaza and secure the return of all remaining living hostages. The discussions are taking place in Cairo with participation from Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. While Hamas has not attended the talks directly, their position has been represented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told the Associated Press that no progress had been made before Israeli negotiators left on Friday. It is uncertain if the mediators will return on Saturday as planned, and Naim said he did not know when negotiations might continue. Hamas initiated the war on October 7, 2023, with an attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, Israel’s military actions have resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, with Gaza health officials noting that more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel threatens 'all hell will break loose' on Hamas in latest Gaza ceasefire crisis The ceasefire deal, which was agreed upon in January, includes three phases intended to end the war. On Friday, Hamas reiterated its commitment to the terms of the agreement and urged the international community to push Israel to begin the second phase without delay. Alongside the second phase of the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office revealed that mediators are also discussing measures to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in order to ease the suffering of the population and contribute to regional stability. Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire by 42 days, claiming it violates the truce agreement. The proposal would extend the ceasefire through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in exchange for another hostage exchange. The World Food Program reported that during the first phase, it reached 1 million Palestinians in Gaza, restoring distribution points, reopening bakeries, and increasing cash assistance. The agency stressed that the ceasefire must hold, with no turning back.

A group of 50 Palestinian children who are sick and injured began crossing into Egypt for medical treatment on Saturday through Gaza's Rafah crossing, marking the first time the border has been opened in nearly nine months, reports AP. This reopening is a significant development in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was reached earlier this month. Israel had agreed to allow the crossing to reopen after Hamas released the last surviving female hostages in Gaza. Malaysia to build mosque, school, hospital in Gaza: Anwar Egypt's Al-Qahera television broadcast footage showing Palestinian Red Cross ambulances arriving at the crossing gate, with some children being transferred from gurneys to ambulances on the Egyptian side. These children were then taken to hospitals in the Egyptian city of el-Arish and other locations. Among them was a young girl who had lost her foot and was seen being loaded into an Egyptian ambulance. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that about 60 family members accompanied the children. These children are the first in what is expected to be a series of regular evacuations for treatment abroad. Over the past 15 months, Israel's military actions in Gaza, which were in response to Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023, have severely damaged Gaza's health infrastructure, leaving most hospitals inoperable. More than 110,000 Palestinians have been injured, and there is a dire need for treatment, especially for specialized surgeries. Thousands of Palestinians return to a shattered northern Gaza According to Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza's Health Ministry, over 6,000 patients are ready for evacuation, while more than 12,000 are in urgent need of care. However, he noted that the small number of evacuations will not meet the overall demand, expressing hope that more patients would be evacuated in the future. Rafah is Gaza's only crossing that does not connect to Israel. Israeli forces took control of the Rafah crossing in May, following an offensive in the southern region of Gaza. Egypt also closed its side of the border in protest. Prior to the war, the Rafah crossing had been essential for allowing Palestinians to seek medical treatment abroad, including chemotherapy, as Gaza's health system was severely constrained by a 15-year blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. The process of reopening the crossing required diplomatic efforts and the resolution of security issues among Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian officials. Hamas had controlled the Rafah border since 2007 after it took over Gaza from the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel bars thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute Israel continues to maintain a military presence at the Rafah crossing and the nearby Philadelphia Corridor, a strip of land along the border. It has refused to allow Hamas to take control of the crossing again, accusing it of smuggling weapons through tunnels, although Egypt claims to have destroyed these tunnels years ago. Israel also rejects the idea of the PA officially managing the crossing. Instead, Palestinian border officers who were previously employed by the PA will staff the crossing, although they will not wear PA insignia. European Union monitors will also be present, as they were before 2007. Negotiations regarding the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which involves a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of remaining hostages, are set to begin on Monday. Israel has expressed resistance to the idea of the PA overseeing Gaza post-conflict.

Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank, according to officials, reports AP. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that one of the victims, a 23-year-old man, was shot dead in Tulkarem, while a 25-year-old man was killed in a strike on Jenin, where Israel had launched a major operation earlier this month. Trump’s Palestinian refugee idea falls flat with Arab allies and confounds a Republican senator The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its statements. There has been no immediate response from the Israeli military. Violence in the West Bank has intensified since Hamas' attack from Gaza on 7 October 2023 triggered the ongoing war. According to the ministry, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom appear to have been militants engaged in battles during Israeli arrest raids. However, the fatalities also include individuals killed in violent protests and civilian bystanders. Additionally, there has been a rise in settler violence against Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis since the war began. Thousands of Palestinians return to a shattered northern Gaza Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek these three territories for a future state.

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 46,000 as the Israel-Hamas war continues with no resolution in sight, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, reports AP. The ministry reported on Thursday that 46,006 Palestinians have been killed, and 109,378 have been injured since the conflict began. It also noted that more than half of the fatalities are women and children, though it did not specify how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 5, including 2 infants The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, though it has not provided evidence to support this figure. Israel maintains that it aims to avoid civilian casualties and holds Hamas responsible for civilian deaths, alleging that militants operate within residential areas. Israeli strikes have frequently targeted what it describes as militant positions in shelters and hospitals, resulting in the deaths of women and children. Hostages in Gaza endure another winter as their families plead for a ceasefire The conflict started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting around 250. Of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza, about a third are believed to have died.