Casualties
- 33,729 + killed* and at least 76,371 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 466+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.**
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,139.
- 604 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and at least 6,800 injured.***
*Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed this figure on its Telegram channel on April 13, 2024. Some rights groups estimate the death toll to be much higher when accounting for those presumed dead.
** The death toll in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not updated regularly. According to the PA’s Ministry of Health on April 5, this is the latest figure.
*** This figure is released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.” The number of Israeli soldiers wounded is according to Israeli media reports.
Key Developments
- Israel kills 43 Palestinians, wounds 62 in the past 24 hours across Gaza, raising the death toll since October 7 to 33,729 and the number of wounded to 76,371, according to the Gaza health ministry.
- Hamas responds to latest ceasefire proposal, presents its own new proposal that reportedly includes phased pauses in fighting.
- Germany, France and the UK urge Israel not to respond to Iran’s attack, as the EU mulls new sanctions on Iran.
- Iran says its response to Israel’s attack on its consulate earlier this month was “logical and responsible.”
- Israeli army radio says four Israeli soldiers were wounded in a landmine explosion at the border with Lebanon.
- Israeli Finance Minister and ultra-nationalist settler Bezalel Smotrich calls for full Israeli control of Gaza.
- Israel releases two Palestinian medics in Gaza after 50 days of detention. Six other medics remain detained.
- Israeli army shoots at Palestinians attempting to return to the northern Gaza Strip, killing one girl.
- The UN says 41% of its aid to Gaza was stopped from reaching the northern Gaza Strip.
- Israeli settlers continue attacks on Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank, following a weekend of pogroms that burned down dozens of homes and properties, and left several Palestinians dead.
- Palestinian human rights groups say Israel is obstructing lawyers’ visits to Palestinian detainees, as Itamar Ben-Gvir vows to make conditions worse for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention.
Israel attacks Palestinians in Gaza as they attempt to return north
The Gaza-based Palestinian health ministry announced that 43 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes, their bodies arriving at the Gaza Strip’s remaining hospitals alongside 62 other wounded people over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in the area of Gaza City, Palestinians found several dead bodies under sand mounds made by Israeli forces in Beit Lahia, north of the city. Israeli artillery also shelled the north and east of Gaza city.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli forces opened fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians as they attempted to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip through the Wadi Gaza bridge. A five-year-old girl was reported killed after she was shot in the head by the Israeli army. Israeli forces also stopped thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes after entering Gaza city through al-Rashid street.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to bomb al-Nuseirat refugee camp, and al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
In the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli forces bombed the east of Khan Younis, while Palestinian medical teams recovered tens of dead bodies from previous bombings, more than a week after Israel’s withdrawal from the city. The Palestinian civil defense called upon the International Red Cross to provide body bags due to dwindling supply in Gaza.
Hamas presents a new counter-proposal for ceasefire
Hamas responded on Sunday to the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal presented through Egyptian and Qatari intermediates, putting forward a new counter-proposal.
On its Telegram account, the Palestinian group said on Sunday that it advanced a new proposal after internal consultation with the group’s leadership in Palestine.
On Sunday, Al-Jazeera reported from “sources close to negotiations” that Hamas’s proposal involves three 42-day-long phases of ceasefires, including captive exchanges.
The group proposed an Israeli withdrawal to the Gaza borders from all areas of the Strip during the first phase and a permanent ceasefire to be announced during the second phase, allowing for an exchange of captives.
According to reports, Hamas proposed to release one Israeli civilian captive for every 30 Palestinian captives, and one Israeli military captive for every 50 Palestinian captives, including 30 Palestinians serving high sentences in Israeli prisons.
Hamas’s proposal insisted on allowing displaced Palestinians to return to the north of Gaza, and the beginning of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip during the third phase.
For its part, Netanyahu’s office released a statement by the Israeli Mossad, saying that Hamas had “given a negative response” to Israel’s ceasefire proposal.
The Mossad added that Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, “doesn’t want a humanitarian deal and the return of hostages”.
Mossad also accused Sinwar of exploiting the crisis with Iran to “create a regional escalation,” stressing that Israel will continue its war to “achieve its goals.”
Ceasefire negotiations have been at a deadlock for months, with Israel rejecting a number of proposals set forward by Hamas, despite mounting pressure from within Israel to secure the release of the Israeli captives being held in Gaza.
Iran stands by its retaliatory strike on Israel, as countries urge restraint from Israel
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said on Sunday that his country’s missile and drone attack on Israel on Saturday was “self-defense”, in response to Israel’s attack on its consulate in Damascus, two weeks ago.
Kanaani added that the Iranian attack on Israel was “professional, logical, and responsible.” The Iranian diplomat also called on the U.S. to “accept Iran’s actions instead of pursuing irresponsible steps, “remarking that Iran doesn’t want any more tension in the region.
Meanwhile, the German foreign secretary, Annalena Baerbock, said that “the Iranian regime pushed the region to the edge of the abyss,” by its attack on Israel last weekend.
The German official urged Israel to commit to diplomatic action, in order to maintain the “defensive victory” it achieved, according to her, by intercepting part of Iran’s missiles and drones on Saturday.
For his part, the British foreign secretary, David Cameron, said that Iran’s attack on Israel “has failed,” urging Israel “not to escalate.” Cameron added that the UK will study further sanctions on Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said that it was necessary “to convince Israel not to respond to Iran’s attack.”
The French leader said that his country was “concerned about escalation in the region,” adding that France will “stand by Israel and its protection to the extent possible.” Macron noted that he is maintaining communications with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and other countries in the region.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen in Nablus
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager in a military raid on Nablus early on Monday. The victim was identified as Yazan Eshtayyeh, 17, a student at the Nablus industrial college.
Medical sources at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus said that Eshtayyeh arrived wounded with live fire in the chest, and died shortly after. Medical sources added that another Palestinian was seriously wounded in the stomach, and another lightly wounded in the foot.
Local sources reported that undercover Israeli forces entered the Mureij neighborhood in the city and took over several rooftops, before more troops raided the city.
Confrontations took place between raiding forces and local youth, during which Israeli forces fired live munition and tear gas. Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian in the city.
Meanwhile, more Israeli raids were reported across the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Israeli forces arrested 25 Palestinians overnight.
Since October 7, Israel has arrested more than 8,100 Palestinians from across the occupied Palestinian territory. Currently, at least 9,400 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, including 71 women, 200 children, and more than 3,500 detainees without charges.
With the killing of Yazan Shtayyeh, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since October 7 has risen to 466, and 147 since the beginning of 2024.
What I REALLY would like to say to express my disgust is NOT PRINTABLE!