Over the past 15 months, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza has risen to 46,645, according to a statement from Gaza-based health authorities on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Gaza since the early hours of the day have resulted in the deaths of 38 Palestinians, including 28 in central and southern Gaza, according to local health authorities.
On the same day, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that as hostilities in the Gaza Strip continue, Palestinians in the region face significant danger. The OCHA reiterated that civilians must be protected wherever they are.
According to the OCHA data, shelters for displaced persons in Gaza have been continuously attacked over the past five days. Israeli authorities continue to reject UN-led efforts to provide aid to the residents.
Additionally, damaged roads, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages and inadequate telecommunications equipment are further hindering humanitarian relief efforts.
An Israeli official said Tuesday that "only final details" remain to be worked out in the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostage deal, as high-level talks are underway in Qatar's Doha.
The main unresolved issues are "technical", the official said on condition of anonymity.
According to local media, Hamas has reportedly agreed to the deal, a draft of which was presented on Monday to both the group and Israel.
The official said the agreement could be announced as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, although "the final deal is yet to be achieved".
On Tuesday, Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the Public Health Directorate at the Israeli Ministry of Health, said that the ministry is preparing to receive detainees expected to be released.
In the first phase of the agreement being negotiated between Israel and Hamas, 33 individuals, including women, children, the elderly and injured civilians, are expected to be freed. These individuals will return after being detained for more than a year.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. President Joe Biden held a phone conversation on Tuesday to discuss the intensive mediation efforts undertaken by Egypt, the United States, and Qatar to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners and detainees.
During the conversation, both leaders stressed the importance of the concerned parties' commitment to overcoming obstacles and showing the necessary flexibility to reach an agreement, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi emphasized the need to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement to put an end to the serious humanitarian suffering of the citizens in the Strip, and spare the region the consequences of expanding the conflict.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 46,645
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 46,645
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 46,645
