RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had hoped US pressure on Israel and Hamas would bring a truce during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, but the Israeli offensive continued unabated as Wednesday and Thursday as the Muslim world marked the end of the Ramadan fast.
The Israel-Hamas war, which has been raging since Oct. 7, has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians and injured over 75,000 others, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry. The Israeli army launched its air and ground campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border assault into southern Israel, where militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took over 240 others hostage.
There has been little respite from the fighting over the past six months. One seven-day truce in late November saw 105 hostages released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Since then, mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States have failed to produce a new truce as the humanitarian situation has deteriorated.
