The horrible and devastating war between Hamas and Israel has continued now nearly 10 months. Over 39,000 Palestinians have died and over 89,000 Palestinians have been injured (1). British medical journal Lancet estimated a while ago that the accumulative effects of the war in Gaza may mean that the real death toll could be more than 186,000 people. That amount of fatalities would represent almost 8 percent of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million. (2)
While the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel have not been succesful, for various reasons, there have been some positive and significant developments elsewhere. Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian groups signed a “national unity” agreement on Tuesday in Beijing, China. The purpose of the agreement is to end long-running divisions between the Palestinian groups and to create a platform so that they can rule post-war Gaza together. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “The most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government around the governance of post-war Gaza. Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.” (3)
References:
(1) “Gaza death toll tops 39,000 as Israel kills dozens of Palestinians” Anadolu Agency 22.7.2024
(2) “Gaza toll could exceed 186,000, Lancet study says” Al Jazeera 8.7.2024
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says
(3) “Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian groups sign ‘national unity’ deal in China” Middle East Eye 23.7.2024
IDIS Observer 