US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he could not guarantee that the ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip would hold, just a day before he is to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that there was “no guarantee” that the ceasefire would hold.
“I’ve seen people brutalized. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. No, I have no guarantee that peace will hold,” he said.
Trump will host Netanyahu on Tuesday, marking the first official visit by a foreign leader since he took office last month.
Authorities in Gaza have announced that the death toll from Israel’s devastating attacks on the enclave has surpassed 61.700. Out of this staggering number, more than 14.200 bodies are still reported missing, believed to be buried under the rubble.
At least 61.709 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip since October 7th, 2023, local authorities said on Sunday.
“Only 47.487 bodies have been transferred to hospitals, while 14.222 are missing under the rubble,” said Salama Marouf, head of the government media office in Gaza, at a press conference in Gaza City.
She stated that among the victims were 17.881 children, including 214 newborn babies.
“More than 38.000 Palestinian children have been orphaned in Israel’s war,” Marouf said.
According to the data, at least 1.155 medical personnel, 205 journalists, and 194 civil defense workers have also been killed during Israel’s assault, which has also damaged more than 450.000 housing units.
“More than 6.000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces, and dozens have been tortured to death in custody. Over 2 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, with many forced to relocate more than 25 times due to a lack of basic services,” Salama said.
On January 19th, the first six-week phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel took effect, halting the war.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its war against the enclave.
