The Palestinian death toll from the more than three months of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has passed the 25,000 mark, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday.
The ministry said the death count is at 25,102, including civilians and Hamas fighters, with about 70% women and children. Health officials said 62,681 people have been injured in the conflict.
In the past 24 hours, the ministry said that 178 Palestinians have been killed and 293 injured.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News Sunday that it is “disappointing” to hear of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a Palestinian state at the end of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Unless you pursue a two-state solution, I really don’t see that there is another solution,” Shapps said.
Netanyahu said Saturday that he “will not compromise on full Israeli control” over Gaza and stated that “this is contrary to a Palestinian state,” rebuffing U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment that creative solutions could bridge wide gaps between the leaders' views on Palestinian statehood.
Discussing his administration's position Friday, Biden said, “There are a number of types of two-state solutions" when he was asked if a two-state solution was impossible with Netanyahu in office, Biden replied, “No, it’s not.”
Biden said Friday he had spoken with Netanyahu, the first call the White House had in nearly a month with the Israeli leader, about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a nonmilitarized government.
"In his conversation with President Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty," a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said.
Netanyahu is facing increasing conflicting pressures at home.
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza protested outside his home Saturday, demanding his government take decisive steps to secure the release of their family members. They say they fear that escalating military activity further endangers the captives' lives.
Meanwhile, a divide over the direction of the war, now in its fourth month, is growing inside the Israeli Cabinet.
Former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot, a member of the War Cabinet has said a cease-fire is the only way to secure the hostages’ release, a comment that implied criticism of Israel's current strategy not to let up on Israel’s war on Hamas militants until their destruction.
Netanyahu also is under heat from members of his right-wing governing coalition who want an all-out war against Hamas, while the U.S., Israel’s main ally, is calling for restraint in Gaza to protect civilian lives.
The Israeli leader has said he will push for “complete victory” against Hamas but has not outlined how he would achieve it.
Critics have accused him of preventing a Cabinet-level debate about a post-war scenario for Gaza. They say Netanyahu is stalling to prevent conflict within his coalition.
Attack in Syria
A strike on a residential building in Damascus, Syria, Saturday killed five members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran said, blaming Israel.
Hours later the IRGC issued statements identifying the five dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi.
Iran has vowed to carry out revenge attacks against Israel.
Syrian state television said the building, which was destroyed in the midmorning strike, was in a neighborhood of the Syrian capital where several embassies are located.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria.
The strike came as Israel hit targets across Gaza Saturday.
Israel said it targeted militants in northern Gaza who it said were trying to plant explosives and fire missiles at Israeli tanks.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
