Palestinian authorities, who are controlled by the Hamas group in Gaza, say the number of victims during the 14-month war with Israel has reached 45,000. Israel, on the other hand, announces that during the war it has killed 17,000 Hamas militants, data that are also not confirmed. In just the last 24 hours, dozens of people have been killed in Gaza during Israeli attacks, including in a school that had turned into a shelter for displaced people in Khan Younis, south of the Palestinian territory.
Palestinians in Gaza's Khan Younis were searching for survival under rubble today (Monday) after an Israeli attack hit a school-turned-shelter overnight.
"Let them bomb us all together, so that we all die, it would be better. We are tired, enough," said Dalia Naeem, a resident of Gaza.
Palestinian health authorities, controlled by the militant group Hamas, said at least 20 people were killed in the attack.
"We felt the vibration and the explosion of the rocket. We then woke up to the rubble above us. I began to remove the stones from my brothers, sisters and mother, checking to see who was conscious. Everyone was alive except the mother. Her hand was completely torn apart and it was clear that she was not alive," says Salma Asdoudy, a survivor of the attack in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said on Monday it attacked Hamas militants operating in a compound that formerly served as a school run by the United Nations. Israel said the compound also served as a training camp to prepare and plan attacks against Israeli forces.
The war in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas, which Washington and Brussels have declared a terrorist organization, launched an attack in Israel on October 7 last year, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 hostages. Over half of the hostages were released by Hamas or during Israeli military operations.
It is not known exactly what the fate of the 101 hostages still being held in Gaza is.
Hamas released a video of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander on Saturday in which he calls on President-elect Donald Trump to facilitate his release.
His parents said it was very 'hard' to see their son in that video.
"This was the first time I saw the boy after 421 days. I am watching the video every hour. I wish I could hold her and tell her everything is going to be okay, but I can't. We extend to the Israeli people, Prime Minister Netanyahu, President-elect Trump, see he's still alive, get the deal done quickly," said Edan's mother, Yael Alexander.
"I have a message for the Palestinian people, the suffering must stop. Over 2 million displaced Palestinians must return to their homes. For this reason, we need a cease-fire agreement, as soon as possible, for the release of the hostages as well, there should be no more hesitation, enough," says the father of hostage Edan, Adi Alexander.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 14-month war has reached 45,000 people, Palestinian health officials said on Monday.
Palestinian data say that only in the last 24 hours 52 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli bombing.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza does not differentiate between civilians and combatants when reporting casualties. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
During the weekend, however, efforts to reach a ceasefire have returned. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have renewed their efforts to broker a deal. Officials from these countries have said that there seems to be more will on both sides to reach a ceasefire./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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