Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 57,000 Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty
Mediators seek agreement while fighting continues.
As ceasefire proposals circulate, health officials in Gaza reported a grim milestone: more than 57,000 deaths since October 7, 2023. Prospects for a truce remain uncertain despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Rising Casualties
Gazan health authorities stated that hospitals received 142 bodies within a 24-hour period, pushing the total fatalities to 57,012. Additionally, 487 individuals sustained injuries, bringing the total injured to 134,592.
Director Killed
Among those killed Wednesday was **Dr. Marwan Sultan**, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza. According to Gaza health authorities, he and several family members died after his home in Gaza City was targeted. Other reports indicated that **Dr. Sultan’s** wife and children also perished. An Israeli military spokesperson stated they “struck a key terrorist”
and that the “claim … uninvolved civilians were harmed is being reviewed.”
Ceasefire Talk
On his Truth Social platform Tuesday evening, **Mr. Trump** said Israel had “agreed to the necessary conditions”
to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. “The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better – IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”
Hamas’s Position
Hamas communicated they are examining new ceasefire offers conveyed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Their stated objective remains an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, ceasefires are difficult to implement due to mistrust and competing political objectives (CFR).
Previous Attempts
An earlier ceasefire that started in January faltered when Israel allegedly altered its terms in March.
Israeli Stance
Israeli prime minister **Binyamin Netanyahu**, scheduled to meet the US president next Monday in Washington, DC, publicly stated during a visit to the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company, “We will eliminate Hamas down to its very foundations. We will free all of our hostages.”
The Israeli government press office reports that 20 of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza are confirmed to be alive.
UN Plea
**Philippe Lazzarini**, head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa, emphasized the critical need for a ceasefire deal, calling it “paramount,”
“so desperately needed and long overdue.”
He also called for the resumption of “principled, dignified and at scale humanitarian assistance”
under the UN.
Aid Concerns
Over 200 NGOs have voiced opposition to the US-backed, Israeli-controlled aid distribution scheme, citing hundreds of deaths linked to it.
Occupied Territories Bill
The Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade recently convened hearings regarding the Occupied Territories Bill. This bill seeks to prohibit importing goods from Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, which are deemed illegal under international law.
Bill Expansion
Campaigners are advocating for the inclusion of services within the Bill’s scope, asserting Ireland’s obligation to do so following an International Court of Justice advisory opinion from last year.
US Criticism
Meanwhile, a senior United States politician has accused the Republic of following a “hateful, anti-Semitic path.”
US Senate foreign relations committee chairman senator **Jim Risch** commented that the Occupied Territories Bill “will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering”
for the State.
