The toll from the fighting in Gaza keeps climbing. Health officials there said that in the past 24 hours alone, 11 people were killed and 49 were wounded in Israeli attacks. Those numbers push the official totals to 67,194 dead and 169,890 injured since October 7, 2023.
The health ministry also highlighted a heartbreaking detail: people trying to reach humanitarian aid remain in danger. In the last day, two people died and 13 were hurt while seeking assistance bringing the running total of aid-related casualties to 2,615 deaths and more than 19,177 injuries. Those figures put a human face on what aid workers have been warning about for months: getting help to civilians is increasingly dangerous.
Amid the violence came a major diplomatic development. After three days of indirect talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, officials announced that Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of a ceasefire plan that was pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Details are still being worked out, but the announcement drew a variety of international reactions.
Qatar, which helped mediate the talks, called the agreement a first step toward ending the war and arranging a swap of hostages and prisoners. A senior Qatari official posted on social media that the deal covers the provisions and implementation mechanisms for the first phase and that more details will be released soon.
In Canberra, Australia’s leaders welcomed the news. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the agreement as “a ray of light” and said it could help bring peace to the region if everyone follows through. In a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Australian government urged all parties to respect the terms of the plan and said there will be a long road to recovery in Gaza.
Turkey’s foreign ministry also welcomed the ceasefire announcement, saying it hopes the move will stop what it called the long-running humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas publicly welcomed the news as well.
The Sharm el-Sheikh meetings included delegations from Israel and Hamas and involved mediators from Egypt and Qatar; U.S. and other officials also participated. The goal was to lay out a path for a phased halt to the fighting, the release of captives, and the steady flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
As diplomats talk, the situation on the ground is painful and fragile. The health ministry’s daily casualty figures underline how urgent it is to get aid moving and reduce the immediate suffering. If the ceasefire agreement holds and is followed by real steps on the ground — more aid, safer passage for civilians, and the release of prisoners – it could ease the immediate crisis. Until then, families in Gaza continue to pay the highest price.