Palestinians search the rubble of a family home following Israeli bombardment west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: AFP
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 31,553 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel militants and Palestinians.
The latest toll includes at least 63 deaths in the previous 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 73,546 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.
Efforts towards a truce in the Israel-Hamas war continued Saturday after a new proposal from the Palestinian militant group which also called for more aid into Gaza, where famine threatens and the first food shipment by sea was unloaded.
Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar for another round of talks on a possible deal. It also advanced plans for a military operation in Rafah, where most of Gaza's population has sought refuge from more than five months of war and deprivation.
The US charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Saturday said its team had finished unloading almost 200 tonnes of food, the first shipment to arrive on a new maritime aid corridor from Cyprus.
"All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," WCK said in a statement.
AFP footage on Friday showed WCK's partner, the Open Arms vessel, towing a barge with the aid close to the rubble-strewn shore of north Gaza. Open Arms had sailed from Cyprus on Tuesday.
The United Nations has reported particular difficulty in accessing northern Gaza for deliveries of food and other aid.
Residents say they have resorted to eating wild plants and animal fodder, and some have stormed the few aid trucks that have made it through.
AFP