Gaza’s health ministry has recorded more than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October.
The strikes came a day before a border crossing is expected to open in Gaza’s southernmost city, a reminder that the death toll is still rising even as a ceasefire agreement inches forward.
All of the territory’s border crossings have been closed since the start of the war, and Palestinians see the Rafah crossing with Egypt as a lifeline for the tens of thousands in need of treatment outside the territory because most of its medical infrastructure has been destroyed by Israeli bombardment.
Israel wants to ensure
that more Palestinians leave Gaza than enter it, according to Reuters,
which said Israel is aiming to allow only 150 Palestinians into Gaza
through Rafah each day.
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| Palestinians inspect damage to a tent hit by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 31 January. Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP |
At least 71,654 people have been killed in Gaza- Cumulative deaths recorded as a direct result of Israeli aggression since October 2023
Most of Gaza has been levelled and basic infrastructure remains inoperable as a result of Israeli bombing over the past two years, which has also killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. Last year, a UN commission of inquiry found that Israel had committed a genocide in Gaza.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/31/israeli-strikes-gaza-kill-at-least-12-reports