Israel’s 15-month assault on Gaza has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which added over 14,000 people missing and presumed dead to its death toll. Nearly 18,000 of that total are children, including 214 newborn infants. A recent study in The Lancet finds the true death toll in Gaza may be 40% higher than official figures. Over 2 million people have been displaced.
Gaza officials warned this week the most urgent humanitarian need is for temporary shelters as thousands of Palestinian families are sleeping outdoors in frigid temperatures. Authorities say Israel is continuing to obstruct aid access to Gaza, violating the terms of the ceasefire.
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Trump at the White House today. Ahead of their meeting, Trump said there were “no guarantees” the Gaza ceasefire will hold. Trump also recently called for the “cleaning out” of Gaza and forcibly expelling its population to neighboring countries. This comes amid reports Netanyahu will not commit to implementing the second stage of the ceasefire agreement and is refusing to withdraw troops from Gaza while Hamas remains in political power.