Palestinian death toll in Gaza war passes 74,000
Iran awaits response from US negotiators
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The Palestinian death toll from the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has not been formally notified of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of its proposed deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And the World Health Organization says nearly 700 people have been killed in Yemen since fighting escalated last month.
Araghchi said Tehran awaits a U.S. response through mediators after Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations.
Speaking from New York, Araghchi told NBC that Iran is “fully prepared for the war to be resumed.”
He added, however: “At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”
Trump told Axios he expects U.S. negotiators to engage in more talks this week.
Araghchi, who had described the proposal on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, earlier told Iranian state media that Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strait remained unchanged and there would be “no backing down from them.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the government had notified the Dutch embassy in Israel that its diplomats in Ramallah had to leave within one week.
Saar said the decision was in response to a Dutch ban that went into effect on Sept. 22 on the “import, purchase and sale of goods” originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the Netherlands, like most of the international community, considers illegal.
Israeli news outlets reported Sunday that Dutch authorities searched the luggage of passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam to ensure compliance.
“Any country that acts in a hostile and unilateral manner against Israel will lose influence and relevance in the region,” Saar said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from the Dutch foreign ministry.
Israel also ousted the Dutch delegation from the International Gaza Support Center last month.
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016, with 175,068 wounded. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.
While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.
Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. It maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants. Meanwhile, seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
Next steps in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire remain largely stalled. Israeli forces now control over half of the territory, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.