More than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died since the US-brokered “ceasefire” agreement between Hamas and Israel was reached last October. The figure was announced Wednesday by the Palestinian Health Ministry, which underscored that the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave remains dire.
“We grieve as Gaza reaches yet another tragic milestone… Thousands of people who once believed the worst was over are now burying their loved ones,” said Fikr Shalltoot, director of the organization Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
The ceasefire has prevented major clashes, but no agreement has been reached to implement a more sensitive second phase, which would include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. Since October, Israel has strengthened its presence in Palestinian territory and now controls 64% of the Gaza Strip, up from an initially planned 53%.
Last week, dozens of families in eastern Gaza City were forced to evacuate after Israeli forces placed yellow concrete blocks, signaling the further westward expansion of the “Yellow Road,” according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Earlier this month, Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera that the group had no plans to hand over its weapons, adding that the fate of its arsenal would be determined after comprehensive discussions with other Palestinian factions.
The ceasefire was expected to open the door to rebuilding Gaza, including its health system. However, according to OCHA, only 20 of the 37 hospitals in the besieged territory are partially functioning, and none are operating at full capacity. “As bombs continue to fall and Gaza remains under near-total siege, global leaders convince themselves that a piece of paper can replace accountability, the lifting of the blockade, and the delivery of medicine to those in need,” Shalltoot said. “Even now, with access to Gaza severely restricted and aid weaponized against a starving population, their silence continues.”
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 23, more than 73,000 people have been killed. Large parts of the territory have been reduced to rubble, and nearly 1.9 million people have been displaced.
