Category: 2. World

Fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory.

Israel’s plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be “the last-ditch attempt.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas’ last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.

Read More: Hamas rejects Israel’s Gaza relocation plan

In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive.

An Israeli armoured incursion into Gaza City could see the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times earlier in the war.

Ahmed Mheisen, Palestinian shelter manager in Beit Lahiya, a war-devastated suburb abutting eastern Gaza City, said 995 families had departed the area in recent days for the south.

With the Israeli offensive looming, Mheisen put the number of tents needed for emergency shelter at 1.5 million, saying Israel had allowed only 120,000 tents into the territory during a January-March ceasefire.

The UN humanitarian office said last week 1.35 million people were already in need of emergency shelter items in Gaza.

“The people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution,” said Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman.

“I am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can’t risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas.

The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in late July in deadlock with the sides trading blame for its collapse.

Sources close to the Cairo talks said Egyptian and Qatari mediators had met with leaders of Hamas, allied militant group Islamic Jihad and other factions with little progress reported. Talks will continue on Monday, the sources added.

Hamas told mediators it was ready to resume talks about a U.S.-proposed 60-day truce and release of half the hostages, one official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters, but also for a wider deal that would end the war.

Diplomatic deadlock

Israel says it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms – the latter demand publicly rejected by the Islamist group until a Palestinian state is established.

A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday the group continues to reject Israeli demands to disarm or expel its leaders from Gaza.

Gaps also appear to linger regarding the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered around the enclave, where malnutrition is rife and aid groups warn of unfolding famine.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing to help equip Gazans with tents and other shelter equipment ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave. It did not provide further details on quantities or how long it would take to get the equipment into the enclave.

“Existing tents where people are living (in the south) have worn out and won’t protect people against rainwater. There are no new tents in Gaza because of the Israeli restrictions on aid at the border crossings,” Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab told Reuters.

He said some Gaza City families had begun renting property and shelters in the south and moved in their belongings.

“Some people learned from previous experience, and they don’t want to be taken by surprise. Also, some think it is better to move earlier to find a space,” Abu Jayyab added.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel’s ensuing air and ground war in Gaza, according to local health officials, with most of the 2.2 million population internally displaced.

Five more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, raising the number of people who died of those causes to 263, including 112 children, since the war started.

Israel disputed the figures provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Gaza tribunal urges UN armed action to stop genocide

Former UN official Richard Falk warns in Istanbul that failure to act against Israel’s Gaza offensive would mark ‘historic failure of humanity’

The Gaza Tribunal on Monday called for an urgent international armed intervention to stop what it described as Israel’s “most lethal phase of genocide” in Gaza, warning that failure to act would mark “an historic failure of humanity.”

At a press conference in Istanbul, tribunal president Richard Falk urged governments to bypass the UN Security Council and let the General Assembly authorize armed intervention in Gaza. PHOTO: ANADOLU

At a press conference held in Istanbul, the president of the independent tribunal, Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at the US’ Princeton University and the former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories (2008–2014), urged governments to bypass the Security Council and empower the UN General Assembly to authorize armed intervention.

“If we do not take action of a serious and drastic kind at this time, anything done in a more moderate fashion will be too late, too late to save the surviving people who have already been traumatized by more than 22 months of genocide,” Falk said.

“The eyes and the ears of the world have been exposed, as never before, including the Holocaust, to the transparency of genocide carried out in real time. It challenges our humanity.”

Falk criticized Western democracies for what he called “complicit behavior,” while noting shifts in public opinion.

“We are trying to address the conscience of all people and encourage the kind of activism that will produce changes in government ahead, particularly an arms embargo and various forms of sanctions … including the kind of solidarity with the Palestinian struggle that proved so effective in the anti-apartheid campaign,” he said.

‘Not only for Gaza but for well-being of the world’

Handed over to Anadolu, the tribunal’s emergency statement, titled Time to ACT: Mobilizing Against Israel’s Planned Conquest on Gaza City and Central Gaza, highlighted Israel’s Aug. 7 National Security Cabinet decision, which Falk said was “opposed by Israel’s own military high command,” to press forward with the conquest of Gaza City, where nearly 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

“The imminent escalation deeply challenges member governments of the UN … to take drastic action now,” Falk declared, citing legal pathways such as the 1950 Uniting for Peace Resolution and the Responsibility to Protect framework adopted at the UN’s 2005 summit.

Quoting Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour’s appeal for immediate protection forces, the tribunal declared: “We, as the Gaza Tribunal, join with those who treat silence in the face of genocide as complicity.”

Falk also condemned what he called systematic efforts to silence truth-telling. He pointed to sanctions against UN human rights rapporteurs and the “August 10th assassination of Assas al-Shafir and his Al Jazeera colleagues in another violent deliberate effort to silence truth tellers.”

“Part of the Gaza Tribunal is to strengthen the role of truth or conceptions of reality. And that is of strategic importance not only for Gaza but for the well-being of the world,” he added.

The tribunal is now preparing to raise the issue at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York next month. “We hope to have laid the groundwork for doing that by the action of releasing this statement today,” Falk said.

What is Gaza Tribunal?

The Gaza Tribunal was launched in London in November 2024 by nearly 100 academics, intellectuals, human rights advocates, and civil society figures, citing “the total failure of the organized international community to implement international law” in Gaza.

Since then, it has convened multiple sessions, including a February 2025 chamber meeting in London and a strategy gathering in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul to brief the international public.

In May, the tribunal held a four-day public session in Sarajevo, Bosnia, hearing testimony from witnesses, journalists, academics, and experts.

That session culminated in the Sarajevo Declaration, which formally accused Israel of genocide, war crimes, and apartheid.

There will be a final hearing in October in Istanbul, where the “Jury of Conscience will deliver a moral verdict based on all testimonies and evidence,” noted another statement handed to Anadolu by the tribunal.

Palestinian PM: Interim body to govern Gaza after ceasefire

‘Gaza is an integral part of our state, and our government is the only executive body authorized to manage its affairs,’ Mohammad Mustafa says

An interim Palestinian committee will govern the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire is reached, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Monday.

“The Gaza Management Committee, which will be announced soon, is an interim committee under the authority of the Palestinian government,” Mustafa told a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

Also Read: 39 killed in Gaza as Israel expands offensive

“Gaza is an integral part of our state, and our government is the only executive body authorized to manage its affairs,” he added.

Mustafa stressed that the Israeli assault on Gaza “does not give any party, local or international, legitimacy to impose superior arrangements” on the enclave.

An interim Palestinian committee will govern the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire is reached, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Monday. PHOTO: ANADOLU

The premier said the Palestinian Authority is working with Egypt to prepare a conference for the reconstruction of Gaza “as soon as possible.”

Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing to the entry of aid trucks into Gaza is “a message to the world that Israel is starving the Palestinian people to force their displacement,” Mustafa said.

On Aug. 8, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to gradually occupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.

The plan envisions the takeover of Gaza City by displacing nearly 1 million residents to the south, surrounding the city, and then carrying out raids into its neighborhoods. A second phase would involve retaking refugee camps in central Gaza, much of which has already been reduced to rubble.

Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

As a former reality TV star, Donald Trump often gives the impression of playing the part of a US president rather than conducting the business of leading a government seriously. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in his recent summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska, where the two leaders met to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

The theatre of the occasion had been meticulously planned. Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin and organised a military flypast, while there were multiple choreographed photo opportunities. Yet what resulted was no peace deal and no prospect of the war ending any time soon.

The very act of meeting and the nature of the interaction were such that the summit instead did considerable damage to the US and broader western position on Ukraine. At the same time, it strengthened Russia’s stance considerably.

Russia used the summit to its strategic advantage, coming away with more concessions than it could have hoped for. Trump’s calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine are now gone and the prospect of additional sanctions on Russia have evaporated. Moscow now has the US president advocating for Ukraine to cede additional territory to Russia over and above the amount it has already taken by force.

The diplomatic mechanism of summitry, which is always a risky endeavour, delivered all this to Putin. I put this down to apparent poor preparation on the US side, including no preconditions, and skilful statecraft by the Russians.

Ending Putin’s isolation

Embracing Russia on equal terms with all the accoutrements of a state visit not only ended Putin’s isolation internationally. It immediately rehabilitated him on the world stage.

The symbolism of this was best demonstrated by the joint statement the two leaders delivered to the media. Putin spoke first and for longer with a well crafted speech. This contrasted sharply with Trump’s short ramble.

By recreating the theatre of a cold war summit, Trump indulged and actively reinforced Putin’s own nostalgic fantasies about Russia being a superpower with hegemonic geopolitical entitlements.

In an interview with Fox News after the summit, Trump said: “It’s good when two big powers get along, especially when they’re nuclear powers. We’re number one, they’re number two in the world.”

Trump’s statement exalted and exaggerated Russia’s position in the international system, while diminishing and sidelining the wealth and interests of European powers.

Putin hinted at future “superpower summits” to come, providing Trump with other opportunities for theatrical photo opportunities and to play the role of peacemaker.

He also suggested that US and Russian investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential “in trade, digital, high tech and space exploration” as well as the Arctic. And ahead of the summit, Putin indicated that he wants to pursue a new nuclear weapons agreement with Trump.

By bringing his treasury and commerce secretaries, Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick, to Alaska, Trump had clearly taken the bait that there are lucrative opportunities on offer for the US if only the troublesome issue of Ukraine can be quickly settled and moved beyond. This framing was evident in Trump’s assessment that the summit went well and that there was much that the two sides agreed on.

A considerable setback

Trump’s love of the limelight, particularly when it garners the world’s attention, has been a feature of his two presidencies. His meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first administration had all the pomp and performativity of previous summits. Trump left without any agreement or real improvement in relations.

It did, however, succeed in ending the damaging social media spats between the leaders that had unnecessarily escalated real-world tensions. The meeting in Alaska is likely to have the opposite effect.

For Russia, it has reinforced the nostalgic fantasy that it is a superpower with a right to a sphere of influence. Given that Europe has been arguing for three years that it is the Russian mindset that is the problem, not just its current aggression in Ukraine, this is a considerable setback.

Putin was given the opportunity to flatter Trump’s ego about the 2020 election, which the US president claims was rigged, and suggest that the war would never have happened if Trump had been in charge. Now, Ukraine is once again being seen by Trump as the obstacle to peace.

The Russians, by persuading Trump to give up his demand for an immediate ceasefire, have bought themselves more time to make further advances on the battlefield. They have also stalled any further pressure from Washington while they pretend to negotiate seriously.

The only positive outcome of the encounter may be the realisation of European leaders that well prepared summit meetings with Trump are an open opportunity to move the dial back in their direction.

Hurricane Erin has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it threatens to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the eastern coast of the United States.

The rains caused by the storm are already beginning to hit the south-eastern Bahamas, and the Turk and Caicos Islands, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.

While Erin is not expected to make landfall on the islands, it is expected to bring rainfall of up to six inches (15.2cm) to the Turks and Caicos and the eastern Bahamas.

Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, “explosively deepened and intensified” on Saturday into a Category 5 storm, before briefly losing force and now regaining strength.

BBC Weather’s lead presenter Helen Willetts says that Hurricane Erin is currently “a major storm”.

“Although at this stage it’s not expected to make a direct hit to land, it will bring considerable amounts of rain, leading to flash flooding, coastal flooding from storm surge, wind damage and dangerous rip currents,” she adds.

“We have already seen heavy rain falls in Puerto Rico – 82mm in 24 hours – and in Anguilla, 62.3mm.”

More than 150,000 people were also left without power in Puerto Rico after high winds damaged electricity lines, according to local energy company Luma.

But the firm said it had carried out emergency repairs and that by Sunday evening local time, 95% of its customers had working electricity.

The hurricane’s outer rain bands have started to affect the Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

While the storm is not expected to hit the islands directly, the country’s Disaster Risk Management Authority encouraged residents to prepare.

Its managing director, Aarone Sargent, told Bahamians to check which shelters were nearest to them and to ensure they knew of alternative shelters should the first one be full.

“These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,” he said.

The NHC forecast is for the core of Erin to pass to the east of the south-eastern Bahamas today and move between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the US by the middle of the week.

It also said that Erin would remain “a large and dangerous hurricane” through this time.

The Outer Banks – a string of islands off the coast of North Carolina – are already bracing for heavy surf and high winds.

The authorities there have ordered a mandatory evacuation of Hatteras Island, warning that the main highway linking Hatteras to other islands could become impassable.

Forecasters have also warned of dangerous rip tides which could affect the entire US East Coast.

After two major cyclones hit southern Malawi in four months, rural communities faced devastating crop losses and infrastructure damage during the leanest season of the year. In the aftermath of events like these, local leaders, government agencies, and global aid organizations need to know what’s happening on the ground in real time. Where is the situation most dire? Where will relief efforts make the most difference? And how do communities build resilience to withstand the next crisis?

“Data can answer these questions and save lives,” said Joanna Upton PhD ’15, a senior research associate in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, part of the SC Johnson College of Business. “In fact, it already has.”

Since 2018, Upton has partnered with Catholic Relief Services and others to develop a rapid feedback monitoring system (RFMS), a platform that employs Malawi residents to collect information about food security from the same households every month. Through a large international network ranging from the World Bank to the Malawi University of Science and Technology, the program provides data and evidence that nonprofits, local leaders, and researchers use to respond to humanitarian emergencies, develop policies, and build resilience to future shocks. Following on early successes as a pilot program in Malawi, the platform has been adapted and launched in other countries, including Madagascar.

“These rural communities are highly vulnerable to climate shocks like droughts or floods, to annual lean seasons, to pests, and to macroeconomic disruptions that affect labor markets and food prices,” said Upton. “Understanding how these shocks affect well-being—and how to design policies and responses that build resilience—requires exactly the kind of high-frequency, grounded data collection and applied analysis that our project enables.”

But in January, federal funding for the project, which came through the U.S. Agency for International Development, ended. Now, the program’s future—and all the research based on it—is in jeopardy.

“All of the data collection systems for early warning and for food security assessment are disabled,” and ongoing research has been abruptly interrupted, Upton said.

Read more about food insecurity in Malawi on the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business website.

Alison Fromme is a writer for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised massive street protests against his handling of the Gaza war, and failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages, suggesting demonstrators were giving comfort to Hamas’s position in negotiations.

The Israeli prime minister made his comments against the backdrop of the largest protests in almost two years of war, with estimates that upwards of 400,000 people joined marches across Israel on Sunday.

“The people who are calling today for the war’s end without Hamas’s defeat are not only toughening Hamas’s stance and distancing our hostages’ release, they are also ensuring that the atrocities of October 7 will recur time and again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight time and again in an endless war.

“Therefore, in order to advance our hostages’ release and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, we have to finish the job and defeat Hamas,” said Netanyahu in a statement.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Monday that more than 62,000 Palestinians had been killed in the 22-month war in Gaza.

At least 60 people were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing to to 62,004 the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war that started on 7 October 2023. A further 156,230 had been wounded, the ministry said.

While the day of protest was called by supporters of Israeli hostage families, the scale of the demonstrations suggests increasingly sharp divisions in Israeli society over a conflict that has yet to deliver the return of hostages at a mounting economic, diplomatic and social cost for the country.

With 50 hostages still held in Gaza – of whom about 20 are believed still to be alive – some of those attending the march carried signs referencing the death of the dual US-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed by his captors last October along with five other hostages as Israeli troops approached where they were being held.

Placards repeated a sentiment expressed by Goldberg-Polin’s father at his son’s funeral – “may your memory be a revolution” – adapting the familiar Jewish expression of condolence “may your memory be a blessing”.

Responding to Netanyahu’s remarks, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum lambasted the Israeli prime minister, saying: “They have been languishing in Gaza for 22 months, on your watch.”

Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court over allegations of war crimes in Gaza, was also fiercely criticised by the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Golan, as a man who “lies as he breathes”.

He said: “The man who time and again refused to eliminate Hamas’s leaders before October 7, who funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatar to finance the tunnels and weapons that threaten our hostages.

“This is the same Netanyahu who strengthened Hamas back then, and it is he who is strengthening Hamas now as well. Netanyahu doesn’t know how to win and doesn’t want to free the hostages. He needs an eternal war in order to cling to his seat and to escape a commission of inquiry [into the 7 October Hamas attack that triggered the war].

“Israel will be liberated from Hamas only once we are liberated from the government of Netanyahu, and [his far-right allies Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir.”

The protests follow the decision by the Israeli cabinet earlier this month to launch a new military operation in Gaza City despite warnings by security officials it would put the lives of the remaining hostages in peril.

On Monday, Netanyahu appeared to receive the public support of the US president for his strategy. Donald Trump wrote on social media: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”

Amid the threat of an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians are leaving their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory.

Israel’s plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages.

The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be “the last-ditch attempt”.

Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas’s last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.

Published on: August 18, 2025 6:53 PM

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit aimed at improving strained India-China relations. During his visit, Wang will hold talks with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian media reports also suggest that Modi may visit China later this month to further boost ties.

The two countries have had a long history of rivalry, including a deadly border clash in 2020. Despite their tensions, both nations are now working to ease relations under increasing pressure from US tariffs and global geopolitical challenges. A key issue for Wang’s visit is restarting border trade across their icy Himalayan frontier, which has symbolic and economic importance for both sides.

This visit follows earlier agreements to resume direct flights and ease tourist visa rules between the countries. India is a member of the Quad alliance with the US, Australia, and Japan, which is seen as a strategic counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the region. Meanwhile, relations between India and the United States have recently become more strained due to trade disagreements.

US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to India, demanding it stop buying Russian oil or face doubled tariffs from 25% to 50% starting August 27. A US trade adviser accused India of acting as a “global clearinghouse” for Russian oil, helping Moscow finance its war efforts. This accusation highlights the difficult balancing act India faces in managing ties with both Russia and the West.

Wang’s visit comes at a crucial time as India tries to balance its relationships with China, the US, and Russia amid growing global uncertainty. The discussions could significantly impact peace, trade, and regional stability in South Asia during these challenging geopolitical times.

Beauty queen Nadeen Ayoub will become the first woman to represent the Palestinian people at the Miss Universe pageant.

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) said in a statement sent to CNN on Sunday that it was “pleased to confirm” that Ayoub would compete in the Miss Universe 2025 competition, which takes place in November.

“The Miss Universe Organization proudly welcomes delegates from across the globe, celebrating diversity, cultural exchange, and the empowerment of women,” the statement reads.

“Ms. Ayoub, an accomplished advocate and model from Palestine, embodies the resilience and determination that define our platform,” it adds.

Ayoub will join competitors from more than 130 other countries and territories at the 74th Miss Universe final, which will be held on November 21 in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We look forward to welcoming Ms. Ayoub on the Miss Universe stage, where she will proudly represent Palestine, standing alongside contestants from every corner of the world,” MUO said in the statement.

Ayoub, now 27, was crowned Miss Palestine back in 2022, according to Abu Dhabi-based news outlet The National.

Posting on Instagram on Thursday, Ayoub said she wanted to be a voice for the Palestinian people.

“I am honored to announce that for the first time ever, Palestine will be represented at Miss Universe,” she wrote in the caption.

“As Palestine endures heartbreak — especially in Gaza — I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced. I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see,” Ayoub added.

“We are more than our suffering — we are resilience, hope, and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us.”

The decision to include a Palestinian entry in the beauty pageant comes amid growing international criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.

At least 62,004 people have been killed in the strip since the start of the conflict in October 2023, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement published Monday.

Authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters when reporting casualty figures, but the health ministry and the United Nations say the majority of deaths are women and children.

As the war continues, a growing number of countries are pledging to recognize a Palestinian state, with more than 145 nations now joining the call for international recognition.

Most recently, Australia, Canada and France announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, while the United Kingdom has conditionally said it will recognize it if Israel does not meet criteria that include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.