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ISLAMABAD: Smoke billowed over Wadi Gaza on Wednesday as strikes killed at least 16 Palestinians, according to officials in the besieged territory.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Israel&rsquo;s military campaign has now killed more than 61,100 people since October 2023.&nbsp;The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the death toll averages 100 Palestinians per day, underscoring the relentless pace of the war. Recent victims included civilians seeking refuge in a Gaza City school converted into a shelter for displaced families.&nbsp;Israel&rsquo;s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned civilians to evacuate Gaza City, declaring it the &ldquo;last opportunity&rdquo; to move south and leave Hamas fighters isolated. &ldquo;Those who remain will be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters,&rdquo; Katz posted on X.&nbsp;Israeli forces said they had seized the Netzarim corridor, severing northern Gaza from the south, while closing the last remaining passage into the north. Residents fleeing south must now cross Israeli checkpoints. Yet many civilians say there is no safe place left.&nbsp;&ldquo;I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the south,&rdquo; said 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering at Al-Shifa Hospital. &ldquo;All areas are dangerous. The bombing is everywhere. Displacement is terrifying and humiliating.&rdquo;&nbsp;The heavy bombardment comes as Hamas weighs a peace proposal advanced by US President Donald Trump. The plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas&rsquo;s disarmament, and a phased Israeli withdrawal. It also envisions a transitional authority for Gaza led by Trump himself.&nbsp;While Arab and Muslim nations cautiously welcomed the proposal, Hamas leaders remain divided. A source close to the group told AFP that some members support unconditional acceptance to halt the bloodshed, while others reject clauses on disarmament and the exclusion of Hamas from Gaza&rsquo;s future.&nbsp;&ldquo;Hamas and the factions want an immediate ceasefire,&rdquo; the source said, &ldquo;but not at the cost of compromising core national principles.&rdquo;&nbsp;Israel&rsquo;s offensive, launched after Hamas&rsquo;s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. According to health ministry figures, now cited by the UN as credible, at least 66,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed.

Middle East

The UN reports Gaza’s death toll surpassing 61,000, with 100 Palestinians killed daily. Israel tightens its siege on Gaza City, as Hamas weighs a US-brokered ceasefire plan calling for disarmament and phased Israeli withdrawal.

Articles tagged with "Gaza Death toll"

UN reports 100 Palestinians killed daily, Gaza death toll surpasses 61,000