The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains uncertain as Israel’s genocidal war marked 1,000 days since it was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas incursion.
Israeli forces, which launched multiple wars in the region since, control over half of the Palestinian territory under the cease-fire that took effect on Oct. 10, but Israel’s government has expanded that and says it aims to hold 70%.
The Hamas incursion into southern Israel caused around 1,200 deaths and took 251 hostages. All hostages or their remains have been released or handed over.
Israel’s genocidal retaliation, however, has killed a total of 73,066 Palestinians as of Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry says. Despite the cease-fire, few people can get in or out of Gaza. Further cease-fire steps, including Hamas’ disarmament and the immense task of reconstruction, have stalled.
“Much more needs to be done so that even a semblance of normality can come back, and we are far, far away from this,” the International Committee of the Red Cross regional director, Nicolas von Arx, said this week.
Israeli strikes have lessened considerably since the cease-fire took effect, but they continue almost daily.
Gaza’s Health Ministry counted 1,053 Palestinians dead since the cease-fire as of Tuesday, including over 350 women and children. In recent days, they included a teenage girl on her way to school and a mother with her 1-year-old daughter.
“Where is this cease-fire they keep talking about?! Shame on them,” one Palestinian, Wisal Abu Khater, said this week after another deadly strike, lashing out at neighboring Arab countries. She said they have failed Gaza’s people and are busy watching World Cup games instead.
The United Nations Wednesday warned that the Israeli expansion in Gaza increases deadly risks for civilians in “areas lacking clear demarcation on the ground.”
Cease-fire deal stalled
The Health Ministry said over 3,400 people have been wounded since the cease-fire. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It says women and children make up roughly half the dead.
Israel’s military claims it targets Hamas and other groups, often asserting they were planning attacks and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
The top diplomat overseeing the cease-fire, Nickolay Mladenov, has made it clear: The next steps in implementing the U.S.-brokered deal are stalled over the difficult issue of Hamas disarming.
This has been a high-profile test of the Board of Peace created and led by U.S. President Donald Trump. Launched with fanfare and billions of dollars in international pledges earlier this year with the sole aim of Gaza’s recovery from war, the board now says little publicly.
Hamas’ disarmament would open the way for other steps, including a new administration of Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force to assist with security and reconstruction efforts.
While Hamas hasn’t outright rejected disarming, it has indicated it wants to hold on to some weapons and demanded further concessions from Israel.
