The Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip says a detailed count of casualties from the war between Israel and Hamas has been resumed, with more than 13,000 deaths recorded.
Medhat Abbas confirmed to the Associated Press the restart of the investigation into the victims.
The Health Ministry had stopped updating the figures on November 11, following the disruption of access and communications in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground troops are fighting Palestinian militants.
The latest count is based on updated figures from southern hospitals and Nov. 11 figures from northern hospitals.
The Ministry of Health says that more than six thousand people are missing and are feared buried under the rubble.
The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas and Palestinian hostages held by Israel appears to face a last-minute hurdle.
A senior Israeli official said the deal would not take effect until Friday, a day later than initially announced.
The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the more than 1.7 million Palestinians who fled their homes during weeks of Israeli bombing, as well as for families in Israel who fear for the fate of those captured during the Hamas attack on Sept. 7. October that unleashed the war.
Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the postponement on Wednesday, without giving any justification.
Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.
Qatar, a Gulf Arab country that played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said today that a new date for the agreement’s entry into force will be announced “in the coming hours.”
The agreement was initially scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. in Lisbon) today.
The United States and Egypt are also involved in negotiating the agreement, which provides for the release of 50 hostages, in phases, in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Qatar said the ceasefire would allow an “increased number of humanitarian and emergency aid convoys” to enter Gaza, including fuel, but did not provide details on actual quantities.
Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit captive hostages.
The Israeli Justice Ministry has published a list of 300 prisoners who could be released, most of them teenagers arrested last year for stone throwing and other minor crimes.
Source: TSF
