Gaza death toll surpasses 74,000 as Middle East tensions persist

The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as tensions continued across the Middle East on Sunday.

The ministry said the death toll had reached 74,016, with 175,068 people wounded since the war began on 7 October 2023. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had not formally received word of US President Donald Trump’s rejection of an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations.

Araghchi said Iran was awaiting a response through mediators and remained prepared for both renewed fighting and diplomacy.

“Iran is fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” he told NBC from New York. “At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”

Trump told Axios that he expected US negotiators to hold further talks this week.

Iran has maintained that its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain unchanged.

Israel to expel Dutch diplomats

Israel said it had ordered Dutch diplomats based in Ramallah to leave within a week, following the Netherlands’ decision to ban the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the decision was in response to what he described as a hostile and unilateral Dutch move.

The Netherlands, like most of the international community, considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal.

Israeli media reported that Dutch authorities had searched passengers’ luggage on a flight from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam to enforce the settlement-related ban. There was no immediate response from the Dutch foreign ministry.

More than 1,100 killed in Gaza since ceasefire

Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,145 Palestinians had been killed since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October, despite the truce halting the heaviest fighting.

Israeli strikes have continued, with the military saying they were carried out in response to threats or attacks.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, according to the Israeli military.

Efforts to advance the US-brokered ceasefire remain stalled. Israeli forces control more than half of Gaza, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said they will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.

Israeli strikes kill two in Gaza

Israeli strikes in central and southern Gaza killed two Palestinians and wounded several others, according to hospital officials.

In Gaza City, an Israeli strike hit a car, killing one person and wounding several others, Shifa Hospital said. The Israeli military said it had targeted a military operative.

A separate strike in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis killed one person and wounded three others, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel said the target was a Hamas militant.

Fighting intensifies in Yemen

Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces of striking a market in Taiz province, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 40, including five children, according to a Houthi health ministry spokesperson.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government rejected the allegation, saying its forces had targeted Houthi warehouses and positions in several parts of Taiz.

The WHO said nearly 700 people had been killed since fighting escalated in Yemen last month.

Hezbollah supporters mark Nasrallah anniversary

Thousands gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark the second anniversary of the death of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

His successor, Naim Kassem, reiterated Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm while Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began after the Iran-backed group fired missiles across the border. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive and now controls a large area of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s government signed a US-brokered agreement in June under which Israeli forces would gradually withdraw in exchange for Hezbollah disarming. Hezbollah did not take part in the negotiations, and implementation of the agreement has stalled.