Deaths from Israel’s attacks on Gaza close to 62,000 as missing added

Authorities in the Gaza Strip have updated the death toll from Israel's war on the region, which now stands at 61,709. This figure includes thousands of individuals previously missing but now presumed dead. The head of the Gaza government media office stated that the remains of 76% of the Palestinians killed in the conflict have been recovered and taken to medical centers.

However, at least 14,222 people are still believed to be trapped under rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescue workers. At Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Salama Marouf told reporters that the death toll includes 17,881 children, among whom 214 were newborns. In addition, over 2 million people have been displaced, some forced to move more than 25 times, living in dire conditions with a lack of basic services. Another 111,588 people have been injured.

These updated figures come amid a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire, which began last month, at least temporarily halted the 15-month conflict in the region. This followed an attack by Hamas on southern Israel in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages back to Gaza. The ceasefire is expected to last until at least early March, allowing Palestinian rescue workers access to previously unreachable areas of Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s reporter, Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rashid Street in Gaza, said, “Humanitarian and medical teams have shifted from rescue missions to body recovery missions.” He noted that many Palestinians are returning to their northern homes along this route. “Hundreds and thousands of homes have turned into cemeteries.” Marouf also highlighted the immense losses suffered by health, humanitarian, and media workers in the region, with at least 1,155 medical personnel, 205 journalists, and 194 civil defense personnel killed in Israeli attacks.

Currently, negotiations are about to enter the second phase of a three-stage ceasefire aimed at seeking a permanent end to the war. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, acting as mediators, will begin these talks today. However, if they cannot broker a deal between Israel and Hamas, fighting could resume in March. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington D.C., scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump. He is facing pressure from his far-right allies to shorten the ceasefire and continue fighting. Netanyahu stated that he and Trump will discuss "defeating Hamas, achieving the release of all hostages, and confronting Iran's terror axis in the Middle East."