Successive Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza, including 12 issued just this month, have now displaced 90% of the territory’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents since Israel declared war on Hamas in October, according to the United Nations’ top humanitarian official for the region. Meanwhile, negotiations toward a ceasefire and hostage are expected to resume, despite apparent contradictions in statements by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
The International Rescue Committee has reported that the devastation of Gaza’s health infrastructure and other essential services has led to the circulation of the polio virus in Gaza for the first time in 25 years. This has been exacerbated by Israel’s destruction of hospitals and water infrastructure, and overcrowded living conditions, the AP reported.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated that she and President Joe Biden are working to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office has confirmed that a delegation from Israel has arrived in Cairo to resume ceasefire negotiations, mediated by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. Israeli officials have said, however, that he has refused to give his own negotiators enough leeway to make a deal, Axios reported.
A major obstacle in the talks has been Israel’s demand for long-term control over two strategic corridors in Gaza, essentially continuing its occupation of the territory.
Israeli families of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7 attack on Israel have been demanding that Netanyahu agree to a ceasefire and bring the hostages home. About 110 are thought to remain in Gaza, but a third are believed to be dead.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza over the last ten months has cause over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly of women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Nearly 100,000 have been wounded.