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Donald Trump's 21-point plan to end Gaza war

I do not want Bangladesh to get involved in this.

It can end badly because Israel cannot be trusted based on their track records.
 
Very gracious of Bangladesh to offer to assist and try to bring this genocide to a close.

Recently the Bangladeshi troops were martyred in Sudan too while helping to maintain peace.

Bangladesh regularly contributes to humanitarian issues despite being a poor country itself.

There are strong murmurings of Bangladesh being able to join the Pak-Saudia defence treaty. If Turkey joins I am confident Bangladesh announcement will be made public soon.
 
US launches phase two of Gaza peace plan with new technocratic government

US envoy Steve Witkoff has announced the start of phase two of President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, with a technocratic Palestinian government established in the territory.

Under phase one, Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire in October, as well as a hostage-prisoner exchange, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and an aid surge.

Witkoff said phase two would also see the reconstruction and full demilitarisation of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups.

"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations," he warned, noting these include the return of the body of the last dead Israeli hostage. "Failure to do so will bring serious consequences."

However, two key points of phase two could be problematic.

Hamas has previously refused to give up its weapons without the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and Israel has not committed to fully withdrawing from Gaza.

The ceasefire is also fragile at best, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations. Almost 450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since it came into force, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

And humanitarian conditions in the territory remain dire, according to the UN, which has stressed the need for the unrestricted flow of critical supplies.

In his statement, Witkoff declared that with the launch of phase two of Trump's 20-point peace plan on Wednesday, Gaza was "moving from ceasefire to demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and reconstruction".

"Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel," he said.

Following the announcement, regional mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey welcomed the formation of what they called the "Palestinian Technocratic Committee to Administer the Gaza Strip", saying it would contribute to "efforts aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation".

They also revealed that the 15-member committee would be headed by Ali Shaath, a former deputy planning minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.

Gaza's transitional administration will operate under the supervision of a "Board of Peace", which will be chaired by Trump, according to the 20-point plan he unveiled three months ago.

Announcements related to the board are expected in the coming days, including when the president visits the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy, is set to be the board's representative on the ground in Gaza.

Trump's plan says an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will also be deployed to Gaza to train and support vetted Palestinian police forces.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas and its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said in a joint statement that they had agreed to support the efforts to form the technocratic Palestinian government "while providing the appropriate environment" for it to begin work.

The PA - which is dominated by Fatah, Hamas's rival - also expressed support.

Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh said Trump's leadership urged all Palestinian factions, institutions and segments of society to "ensure the success of this critical transitional phase". He also stressed the importance of linking institutions in the West Bank and Gaza in order to uphold "the principle of one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon".

According to Trump's plan, the PA will take over governing Gaza once it has completed reforms and can do so "securely and effectively".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had spoken on Wednesday evening with the parents of Ran Gvili, the last dead hostage in Gaza.

He made it clear to Itzik and Talik Gvili that "Ran's return is a top priority and that the declaratory move regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran for a Jewish burial", the office added.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum insisted: "There is no phase 2 while Ran Gvili in Gaza. Phase Rani must come first."

The Israeli government had accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the 24-year-old police officer's remains and said it will not reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt – one of its obligations under phase one - until they are handed over.

Gvili was among the 251 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 other people were killed.

Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 71,430 people have been killed, according to the territory's health ministry.

BBC
 

Gaza plan phase two: US to discuss Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal​


Hamas leaders and representatives of other Palestinian factions in Gaza are in the Egyptian capital Cairo for talks on the second phase of the United States-led Gaza ceasefire deal, amid a teetering ceasefire that Israel has repeatedly violated as its genocidal war continues.

The Palestinian group on Thursday welcomed the establishment of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee that would operate under the overall supervision of a so-called “Board of Peace”, to be chaired by US President Donald Trump.

“The formation of the committee is a step in the right direction,” said Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader.

“This is crucial for consolidating the ceasefire, preventing a return to war, addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and preparing for comprehensive reconstruction.”

Deep uncertainty remains over the next steps involving the disarmament of Palestinian armed groups in the Strip, rebuilding and daily governance.

An adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau told Al Jazeera that discussions in Cairo are focusing on reopening the Rafah crossings, ensuring the entry of aid currently stockpiled on the Egyptian side of the border and securing an Israeli withdrawal.

Taher al-Nunu said Hamas “must work with mediators and the international community to achieve calm and a return to normalcy in Gaza” and praised the “great efforts” being made to implement what was agreed upon.

Al-Nunu also accused Israel of attempting to derail the ceasefire and said Hamas was “working with mediators to open the crossings, allow aid in and secure the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip”.

However, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, known as Kan, reported that Israeli officials consider the so-called yellow line – a buffer zone in eastern Gaza – as a strategic area that will remain under Israeli control.

Israel’s current military occupation of Gaza is more than 50 percent of the besieged enclave.

The leaders of Palestinian armed groups were also scheduled to meet Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov, who will likely head the Board of Peace. Trump is expected to announce the 15 members of the technocratic committee in the coming days.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed efforts to move ‌ahead with the Gaza plan and argued that institutions in Gaza should be linked to those run by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, “upholding the principle of one system, one law and one legitimate weapon”.

In a joint statement, the other mediators of the ceasefire deal – Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar – called the announcement an “important development aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip”.

They welcomed the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic committee and said it would be led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the PA.

The administrative body will be tasked with providing public services to the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, but it faces towering challenges and unanswered questions, including about its operations and financing.

The United Nations has estimated that reconstruction will cost more than $50bn. The process is expected to take years, and little money has been pledged so far.

Shaath told local broadcaster Basma Radio on Thursday that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will be fully integrated with the PA under a “one homeland, one system” framework and that no foreign members will be included.

Its jurisdiction will expand to cover the entire Gaza Strip as Israeli forces withdraw, Shaath said in the interview, and there will be no contact between its members and Palestinian armed groups.

Additionally, reconstruction efforts will be financed via a dedicated World Bank fund supported by Arab and international donors, with debris used to build artificial islands through marine land reclamation or recycled for road construction.

Complete debris removal is estimated to take nearly three years under the proposed strategy, he said.

Shaath added that shelters for displaced Palestinians would be established within the first six months, and that the repair of desalination plants to obtain potable water and the rehabilitation of schools and other
academic institutions would be a top priority.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Mad hounds never relent
====
Israel keeps attacking Gaza, kills two minors, elderly woman

  • At least three Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including a 10-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and an elderly woman.
  • Israeli forces have continued deadly attacks across Gaza despite a United States announcement about the launch of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
  • At least 463 Palestinians have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year.
  • Trump has announced he will chair what’s being called a “Board of Peace” to govern Gaza.
  • At least 71,455 people have been killed and 171,347 wounded by Israeli forces across Gaza since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
Source: Al Jazeera
 
Mad hounds never relent
====
Israel keeps attacking Gaza, kills two minors, elderly woman

  • At least three Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including a 10-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and an elderly woman.
  • Israeli forces have continued deadly attacks across Gaza despite a United States announcement about the launch of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
  • At least 463 Palestinians have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year.
  • Trump has announced he will chair what’s being called a “Board of Peace” to govern Gaza.
  • At least 71,455 people have been killed and 171,347 wounded by Israeli forces across Gaza since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
Source: Al Jazeera
typical israel for you,
 

Death and displacement of Palestinians continue months into Gaza ceasefire​



A pity and moment of immense shame for all so called Muslim leaders, no doubt these oppressors will be dealt 100x the punishment when the righteous ppl will reconquer the land and wipe it from all such criminals
 
Blair and Rubio among names on Gaza 'Board of Peace'

The Trump administration has named US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair as two of the founding members of its "Board of Peace" for Gaza.

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner will also sit on the "founding executive board", the White House said in a statement on Friday.

Trump will act as chairman of the board, which forms part of his 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

It is expected to temporarily oversee the running of Gaza and manage its reconstruction.

Also on the founding executive board are Marc Rowan, the head of a private equity firm, World Bank chief Ajay Banga and a US national security adviser, Robert Gabriel.

Each member would have a portfolio "critical to Gaza's stabilisation and long-term success", the White House statement said.

Trump had said on Thursday that the board had been formed, calling it the "Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place".

Further members of the board would be named in the coming weeks, the White House said.

Sir Tony was UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003. After leaving office, he served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers (the US, EU, Russia and the UN).

In this role, he focused on bringing economic development to Palestine and creating the conditions to move towards a two state-solution.

Sir Tony had already been a part of high-level talks about Gaza's future with the US and other parties. In August, he joined a White House meeting with Trump to discuss plans for the territory, which Witkoff described as "very comprehensive".

In September, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC that involving Sir Tony in such talks, given his record on the Iraq War, would "raise some eyebrows".

But Streeting also noted the former prime minister's role in brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to end Northern Ireland's Troubles.

"If he can bring those considerable skills there, in both diplomacy and state craft," Streeting told the BBC, "that can only be a good thing".

It comes after the announcement of a separate 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), charged with managing the day-to-day governance of post-war Gaza.

Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA) which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control, will head that new committee.

The statement also said that Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy, would be the board's representative on the ground in Gaza working with the NCAG.

Trump's plan says an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will also be deployed to Gaza to train and support vetted Palestinian police forces and the White House statement said that US Major General Jasper Jeffers would head this force to "establish security, preserve peace, and establish a durable terror-free environment".

The White House said that a separate "Gaza executive board" was being formed that would help support governance and includes some of the same names as the founding executive board as well as further appointees.

The US peace plan came into force in October and has since entered its second phase, but there remains a lack of clarity about the future of Gaza and the 2.1 million Palestinians who live there.

Under phase one, Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire in October, as well as a hostage-prisoner exchange, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and an aid surge.

Earlier this week Witkoff said phase two would see the reconstruction and full demilitarisation of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups.

"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations," he warned, noting these include the return of the body of the last dead Israeli hostage. "Failure to do so will bring serious consequences."

However the ceasefire is fragile, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations.

Almost 450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since it came into force, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, while the Israeli military says three of its soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian groups during the same period.

Humanitarian conditions in the territory remain dire, according to the UN, which has stressed the need for the unrestricted flow of critical supplies.

The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 71,260 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

BBC
 

Trump invites more global leaders to join Gaza 'Board of Peace'​


United States President Donald Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" for postconflict Gaza began to take shape on Saturday, with the leaders of Egypt, Turkiye, Argentina and Canada asked to join.

The board is set to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October and lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment.

The White House said the Board of Peace will take on issues such as "governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilisation".

Trump, a real-estate developer, has previously mused about turning devastated Gaza into a Riviera-style area of resorts, although he has backed away from calls to forcibly displace the population.

The other members of the board are World Bank President Ajay Banga, an Indian-born American businessman; billionaire US financier Marc Rowan; and Robert Gabriel, a loyal Trump aide who serves on the National Security Council.

Israel's military said on Friday it had again hit the Gaza Strip in response to a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire declared in October.

The strikes come despite Washington announcing that the Gaza plan had gone on to a second phase — from implementing the ceasefire to disarming Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel prompted the massive Israeli offensive.

Trump also named US Major General Jasper Jeffers a day ago to head the International Stabilisation Force, which will be tasked with providing security in Gaza and training a new police force to succeed Hamas.

Jeffers, from special operations in US Central Command, in late 2024 was put in charge of monitoring a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which has continued periodic strikes aimed at Hezbollah militants.

The US has been searching the world for countries to contribute to the force, with Indonesia an early volunteer.

But diplomats expect challenges in seeing countries send troops so long as Hamas does not agree to disarm fully.

Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath was earlier tapped to head the governing committee.

The committee's meeting in Cairo also included Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who was given the role of high representative liaising between the new governing body and Trump's Board of Peace.

Committee members are scheduled to meet again today, one of them told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"We hope to go to Gaza next week or the week after; our work is there, and we need to be there," he said.

Trump also named a second "executive board" that appears designed to have a more advisory role.

Blair, Witkoff and Mladenov will serve on it, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Israel has refused a Turkish role in the security force, owing to President Erdogan's fiery denunciations of Israel's actions in Gaza.

The board will also include senior figures from mediators Egypt and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020.

Trump also named to the board Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, despite his administration's efforts to sideline the world body.

Source: Reuters
 
Seven more countries agree to join Trump's Board of Peace

Seven countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt say they will join US president Donald Trump's Board of Peace, according to a joint statement.

They will join Israel, which also publicly confirmed its participation earlier.

On Wednesday evening Trump said Vladimir Putin had also agreed to join - but the Russian president said his country was still studying the invitation.

The board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.


 
Saaar free Palestine, saarr death to Israel. But but Pakistan PM is sitting Along with Israel PM just because uncle Sam ordered.

Isko bolte hai humiliation.

:klopp :ko
 

Israel accused of extracting billions from Gaza through wartime trade controls​


Israeli occupation authorities have intensified economic measures against the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war, imposing what Palestinian sources describe as “forced arrangements” that have enabled Israel to extract vast sums from Gaza’s economy while deepening humanitarian suffering.

According to information obtained by Arabi21 from informed sources, Israeli forces have effectively turned Gaza’s markets and commercial sector into a new arena of pressure, using trade restrictions and financial controls as tools to punish the population and exhaust its remaining resources. The sources said these measures have contributed to financing part of the cost of the war from the pockets of Gaza’s residents themselves.

The sources explained that Israeli authorities have restricted the import of goods into Gaza to a very limited number of merchants, allowing only 10 traders to bring in commercial supplies. These arrangements, they said, are carried out through opaque procedures that are not subject to Palestinian oversight and do not involve the Gaza Chamber of Commerce.

As a result, the sources noted, a black market has flourished, monopolies have emerged, and the cost of goods has soared due to the imposition of high fees on imports and the concentration of commercial activity in the hands of a small group of approved traders.

The same sources indicated that at least one of the merchants granted permission to import goods is linked to the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was established by Washington in coordination with Israel. The foundation has been widely criticised and has been associated, according to Palestinian accounts, with incidents in which large numbers of Palestinians were killed while attempting to access aid at its distribution points before those centres were later dismantled.

Palestinian observers say these economic measures form part of a broader strategy aimed at creating unbearable living conditions in Gaza, with the objective of encouraging what they describe as “soft displacement” after military means failed to achieve that outcome.

Source: Middle East Monitor
 
The only people who should disarm are the zionest extremists!

They just butchered their over 30 thousand kids , all innocent. Many still buried under rubble , yet they have the audacity to send more troops to call it a great moment for Gazans ? Even nations that support Israel spoke out apart from extremist Jews and extremist Hindus . Both are cowardly and can never take on anyone their size
 
It’s a dark day for Pakistan . This will be remember in history. Pakistan rulers have sold out , prob soon will be bending over to Zionism as India has done since the late 90s

Brother, Unc Shebby is pragmatic. He always made it clear that beggars cannot be choosers. That’s why he got flak from Immy Khan who said that it’s not the Pakistani awaam which was beggar but him (Shebby unc and his corrupt family).
 
Brother, Unc Shebby is pragmatic. He always made it clear that beggars cannot be choosers. That’s why he got flak from Immy Khan who said that it’s not the Pakistani awaam which was beggar but him (Shebby unc and his corrupt family).

You have no idea brother lol see below
 
If only this man was a leader of a Muslim nation

He's not doing it for Muslims, he's doing it because Trump is forcing this new 'board' as a UN replacement. An organisation where only the US will have power. It's also why the UK, France and China have not joined it, why would they when they have huge power in the UNSC? If everyone joined it the UN, as dire as it is, will be totally finished. Even with the other UNSC members not joining it, if most of the globe joins this organisation then UN is finished. If it was not already but now the pretense will be over. No major power wants to join an organisation run by the US.

Putin is not Palestine's friend, the Iranians themselves many times have said in communiques that Putin refuses to sell them anything worthwhile due to his relationship with Israel. Just like Syria where Israel pounded Syria with agreements from the Russians. I have read many books, many things on Israel and Russia and how Israel learnt from the USSR (how terrified the USSR made it) and have since kept every super power from US, China and Russia on its side to stop them from arming Israel's enemies in any meaningful way and how far Israel has gone in this regard when it comes to Russia, even hugely angering the US many times. Israel itself has a huge (if not the dominant) populace from ex Soviet states with Russian being its major language after Hebrew. Putin himself lovingly calls Israel little Russia and has in the past many times said to diplomats he feels the same affinity for them as he does for ethnic Russians in other ex Soviet states.

Putin has, just like Tate before with his fake conversion which now everyone can see for what it was, said statements to get Muslims praising the Russians when on the actual field it's just meaningless words. The real issue is on Security Countil power wants to join this organisation where instead of the UN it's just the US as the dominant power. Imagine if the Security Council just had the US in it, this is what this new board of peace nonsense is.

I agree with almost everything you say but not here I am afraid bro :D
 
He's not doing it for Muslims, he's doing it because Trump is forcing this new 'board' as a UN replacement. An organisation where only the US will have power. It's also why the UK, France and China have not joined it, why would they when they have huge power in the UNSC? If everyone joined it the UN, as dire as it is, will be totally finished. Even with the other UNSC members not joining it, if most of the globe joins this organisation then UN is finished. If it was not already but now the pretense will be over. No major power wants to join an organisation run by the US.

Putin is not Palestine's friend, the Iranians themselves many times have said in communiques that Putin refuses to sell them anything worthwhile due to his relationship with Israel. Just like Syria where Israel pounded Syria with agreements from the Russians. I have read many books, many things on Israel and Russia and how Israel learnt from the USSR (how terrified the USSR made it) and have since kept every super power from US, China and Russia on its side to stop them from arming Israel's enemies in any meaningful way and how far Israel has gone in this regard when it comes to Russia, even hugely angering the US many times. Israel itself has a huge (if not the dominant) populace from ex Soviet states with Russian being its major language after Hebrew. Putin himself lovingly calls Israel little Russia and has in the past many times said to diplomats he feels the same affinity for them as he does for ethnic Russians in other ex Soviet states.

Putin has, just like Tate before with his fake conversion which now everyone can see for what it was, said statements to get Muslims praising the Russians when on the actual field it's just meaningless words. The real issue is on Security Countil power wants to join this organisation where instead of the UN it's just the US as the dominant power. Imagine if the Security Council just had the US in it, this is what this new board of peace nonsense is.

I agree with almost everything you say but not here I am afraid bro :D
Thats fine bro , we are always respectful in disagreeing.

I would say in response two points .

1. Russia today is not the Soviets . Putin himself used to hide and pray as Christianity and faith in general was not approved of in the open . Putin changed the future of the Russian lands and people. Russians were eating out of pots cold soup , driving ladas around . In less than 30 years hes transformed the federation, Moscow is better than American city , looking forward to visiting soon .

2. Israel was too scared , backed out of attacking Iran because no nation on the planet had hit Israel as Iran did in the 12 day war . Not sure what you’ve read but even Houthis have hypersonic missiles, given by Iran , given to them by Russia.
See below Zionists are admitting they are scared.
 
Anyone who believes Donald Trump in 2026, the guy who lies more than he breathes and makes a u turn every day, needs to get their brain checked for entropy.
 
Rabid settlers following the footsteps of their politicians
===

Israeli settlers set fire to three villages in occupied West Bank​

Armed Israeli settlers have set fire to three Palestinian villages in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank.

The settlers then blocked ambulances and medics from helping those injured, with Palestinian families left watching their homes burn down.

According to the UN, more than 1,800 settler attacks – about five per day – were documented in 2025, resulting in casualties or property damage in about 280 communities across the West Bank, and beating the previous year’s record of settler attacks by more than 350.

Source: Al Jazeera
 

Israel accepts Gaza’s 70,000 death toll: A record of denialism, lies​


After more than two years of bombarding Gaza, Israel’s military appears to have accepted the death toll in the enclave that the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has been compiling, painstakingly and against the odds.

Since the start of its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly dismissed, denied or downplayed the scale of death and devastation in the territory documented by journalists, Palestinians and Gaza’s authorities. It has at times issued its own statistics on people killed, then changed them, while accusing Palestinians and Gaza officials of exaggerating the death toll, especially of civilians.

But on Thursday, an Israeli army official told journalists in the country that the army accepted that about 70,000 people had been killed in Gaza during the war.

The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that as of January 27 this year, at least 71,662 people have been killed since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. Of those, 488 people have been killed since the declaration of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on October 10, 2025.

Thousands more are missing and believed to be buried under rubble. According to the National Committee for Missing Persons, that figure could exceed 10,000. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has said that at least 440 people died of starvation during the war.

The senior Israeli military official did not acknowledge that a vast majority of those killed in Gaza are civilians – most are children and women – or that hundreds have starved to death and that thousands more are buried under rubble in Gaza
.
Still, the acceptance of the Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll marks a break from Israel’s past claims.

At the same time, it follows a pattern: during its war on Gaza, and well before, Israel has frequently denied narratives of killings its forces have perpetrated, despite evidence to the contrary, only to later grudgingly acknowledge what happened – often when the facts became impossible to deny.

So what’s behind Israel’s sudden acceptance of the Gaza death toll – and its history of denialism?

What do we know about the real number of dead and injured in Gaza?​

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has been counting the number of dead bodies by recording their names and keeping a track of ID numbers.

The Health Ministry has also recorded the number of people injured and the number of people who have starved to death as a result of Israel cutting off vital aid supplies to Gaza during the war.

As of January 27, the ministry said that at least 171,428 people were injured in the war and 1,350 more have been injured since the ceasefire.
The United Nations and human rights groups have also backed the Health Ministry’s figures.

Human rights organisations have also accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting civilians.

In particular, between May and July 2025, more than 1,000 Palestinian people were killed by the Israeli military at United States-led food distribution sites, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and a retired US special forces officer, Anthony Aguilar

Aguilar was formerly employed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a nonprofit backed by the US and Israel to provide those distribution sites, after Israel accused the United Nations Palestinian refugee authority, UNRWA, of aiding Hamas.

“Without question, I witnessed war crimes by the [Israeli military],” Aguilar told the BBC in an exclusive interview in 2025.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
New Zealand a much smaller nation has more guts to say no to USA than Pakistan which despite being an Islamic nation sold itself to Zionist forces just so that the illegal regime of corrupt leaders and military dictators could stay in power and continue looting the majestic nation of Pakistan for many more years.

 

Israel reopens Gaza's key Rafah border crossing with Egypt​


Palestinians have started to enter the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt after it reopened for the movement of people.

The crossing has largely been closed since May 2024, when the Gazan side was captured by Israeli forces.

The reopening was supposed to happen during the first phase of US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas, which began in October. But Israel blocked it until the return of the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, which happened last week.

It will come as a relief to many Palestinians who see it as a lifeline to the world, although there is frustration that only small numbers of people and no goods will be allowed through.

Around 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians are waiting to leave Gaza for treatment, according to local hospitals and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Israeli reports say only 50 patients - accompanied by one or two relatives - will be allowed to exit each day, and that 50 people who left Gaza during the war will be allowed to return.

The crossing will be run by supervisors from the European Union and local Palestinian staff, while Israel will carry out remote security checks.

On Monday morning, an Israeli security official said the Rafah crossing had "now opened to the movement of residents, for both entry and exit" following the arrival of teams from the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).

Al Qahera News TV, which is close to Egyptian intelligence, meanwhile said the crossing had "received the first batch of Palestinians returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip". It added that the move came "as part of Egyptian efforts to facilitate movement through the crossing".

A Palestinian mother, Sabrine al-Da'ma, told the BBC she was hoping to travel abroad with her 16-year-old daughter, Rawa, who suffers from kidney disease. She plans to donate Rawa one of her kidneys.

"She used to be treated through monitoring, ultrasound imaging and tests to check the condition of her kidneys. Since the war started, because of food shortages, hunger, and the food she was forced to eat, she began dialysis," Da'ma said.

"We hope they will speed up our referral so that we can travel quickly, because she is getting exhausted. I am also 45 years old, and they may tell me that as I get older, I won't be able to donate anymore. That's why we're rushing."

On Sunday, Israeli authorities said a trial opening of the crossing was carried out and completed.

One Palestinian official familiar with the arrangements for the trial told the BBC that around 30 Palestinian staff members had arrived at the Egyptian side of the crossing, ahead of the initial operational phase.

The WHO will oversee the transfer of patients from territory under Hamas control, transporting them by bus to the crossing over the so-called "Yellow Line" and into territory controlled by the Israeli military, the BBC understands.

Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan says the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under a previous ceasefire deal in January last year.

Before being seized by Israel in 2024, the crossing was the main exit point for Palestinians allowed to leave during the war and a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Now, aid that enters from Egypt is routed via Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing point.

In December, the Israeli government said the Rafah crossing would open to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza. But Egypt said the crossing would only be opened if movement was allowed in both directions.

More than 30,000 Gazans have registered with the Palestinian embassy in Cairo to be allowed to return to Gaza.

The crossing's opening was delayed due to the Israeli government making it conditional on Hamas handing over the body of the last dead Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Last week, the Israeli military said its troops had retrieved the remains of police officer Master Sgt Ran Gvili at a cemetery in northern Gaza.

He was one of the 251 people abducted by Hamas and its allies during their attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the attack, has killed more than 71,790 Palestinians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

 
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