Rising Death Toll and Calls for Collaboration Amid Gaza Conflict
As the conflict in Gaza intensifies, the death toll continues to rise, and allegations of a dangerous policy of extortion by Israeli forces against families in the Gaza Strip are surfacing. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have introduced a controversial 20-point peace plan that Hamas is under heavy pressure to accept.
Rising Tensions and Rising Death Toll
Israeli strikes have killed at least 30 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn on Tuesday, according to sources at Al Jazeera Arabic. Among the victims were at least 15 Palestinian aid seekers near a distribution centre in the central Gaza Strip, as well as six Palestinians killed in an Israeli bombing of a house west of Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza.
Israeli forces also reportedly targeted Al-Helou Hospital in Gaza City with two missiles, disrupting medical services and rendering entry and exit impossible, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Controversial Collaboration
Reports from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor suggest that Israeli forces are pressuring families in Gaza to collaborate or face dire consequences. Families are allegedly presented with the choice of collaborating with the Israeli army and its militias or facing mass killing, starvation, and forcible displacement.
A Peace Plan or a Disaster Plot?
In the midst of the escalating conflict, Trump and Netanyahu have unveiled a 20-point peace plan, which they claim could halt the violence in Gaza. The plan, which Netanyahu has endorsed, calls for an immediate end to hostilities, the release of all Israeli soldier prisoners within 72 hours, and the release of Palestinian detainees. It envisions Gaza as a deradicalized, terror-free zone
and proposes extensive reconstruction, including rehabilitation of hospitals, water, electricity, and public infrastructure.
However, the plan has been met with skepticism. The Qatari PM has expressed that the plan still needs 'clarification and discussion,' and Hamas has yet to agree to its terms. Trump has warned that Hamas has 'three or four days' to respond to the Gaza plan or 'pay in hell.'
Current Status
As the situation continues to evolve, the international community watches closely. The Global Sumud Flotilla, which aims to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, is facing warnings from the Italian Prime Minister to halt its mission. Meanwhile, airstrikes and bombardments continue to claim lives, and hospitals struggle to cater to the rising number of victims.
The situation in Gaza remains critical as efforts to broker peace continue amid escalating violence and a rising death toll.