Hamas warns Rafah closure violates ceasefire as death toll hits 72,134
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Tuesday that the Israeli occupation’s continued closure of the Rafah crossing constitutes a blatant and dangerous violation of the ceasefire agreement and a retreat from commitments made to mediators, particularly Egypt, dismissing Israeli justifications as “flimsy security pretexts and false claims.”
Qassem warned that the closure is preventing tens of thousands of wounded Palestinians from traveling abroad for medical treatment, and that the ongoing shutdown could cost the lives of dozens of patients already deprived of adequate care, particularly given the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system.
The Hamas spokesperson added that the closure also violates international conventions guaranteeing freedom of movement and the right of individuals to enter and leave their homeland.
Siege deepens humanitarian crisis
Rafah’s closure is part of a broader Israeli siege imposed on February 28, when “Israel” shut all crossings into Gaza indefinitely following the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
With Israeli forces controlling roughly 60% of the territory and Gaza almost entirely dependent on external food supplies, humanitarian organizations have warned that existing stockpiles may last only days.
“If the borders stay closed, World Central Kitchen will run out of food this week,” the organization’s founder, José Andrés, warned last week.
As the occupying power, “Israel” bears legal responsibility under international law to ensure adequate food supplies for the civilian population, an obligation that does not lapse during its war on Iran, according to Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “Community kitchens are already closing, and prices for basic goods have started to rise,” he wrote on X last week.
Attacks continue despite ceasefire
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Tuesday that two martyrs reached hospitals in the Strip in the past 24 hours. One was recovered from under the rubble, while the other was killed in Israeli fire. Another two were injured in Israeli attacks, bringing the total death toll since October 7, 2023, to 72,134 martyrs, with 171,828 people wounded.
The ministry warned that a number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and on the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are still unable to reach them due to ongoing Israeli attacks. Yesterday saw the martyrdom of 7 and the injury of 17 in Israeli fire in Gaza.
Since the ceasefire was announced on October 11, Israeli attacks have killed 649 Palestinians and wounded 1,730 people. The bodies of 756 martyrs have been recovered since the truce came into effect, as thousands are thought to still be under the rubble.
The Gaza Media Office confirmed on Monday that the number of journalists killed has risen to 261 following the death of correspondent Amal Hammad Shamali, who worked for Radio Qatar, making Gaza the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern recorded history.
A war on families
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, 22,426 fathers have been killed since October 7, and 21,193 women have been widowed. More than 6,020 families have only a single survivor, while 2,700 families were wiped out entirely and erased from the civil registry.
56,348 children have been orphaned, having lost one or both parents. More than 12,500 women have been killed, among them over 9,000 mothers, leaving tens of thousands of children without maternal care. The Media Office notes that more than 55% of all those killed are children, women, and the elderly.