Netanyahu Rejects Trump Peace Plan as Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 73,000

Israeli forces killed one Palestinian east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Saturday, according to medical sources cited by the Qatar News Agency. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed on Sunday that hospitals had received the bodies of two Palestinians, one from the aforementioned attack and another recovered from rubble. This brings the total death toll since the conflict began in October 2023 to 73,386, with 174,250 wounded.

The ministry noted that many remains remain buried under rubble and uncounted due to restricted access for ambulance and Civil Defence crews. Since a ceasefire took effect in October, the Health Ministry has recorded 1,258 deaths, 4,139 wounds, and 807 bodies recovered from rubble. The ministry has described the conflict as a "genocidal war".

Concurrently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point peace plan during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas is "genuinely disarmed". The rejection leaves the ceasefire’s terms and any timeline for Israel’s exit from Gaza unresolved.

The stance aligns with a position taken last week by the US-led Board of Peace, which indicated that Israeli withdrawal would only proceed once Hamas’s disarmament is complete. This political deadlock occurs as casualties continue to mount, with at least five people, including children, wounded in attacks across Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City on Saturday.

Specific incidents included an Israeli tank firing on tents in Khan Younis, wounding a woman critically, and artillery shelling in the al-Mahatta area of Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood. As of August, the Israeli rights group HaMoked reported that Israel was holding nearly 8,000 "security" prisoners, including 3,198 in administrative detention without formal charges.