Gaza Toll Tops 74,000 as Israeli Opposition Unites — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Gaza's Health Ministry reported the Palestinian death toll reached 74,016 with 175,068 wounded, noting the ministry — though part of the Hamas-led government — keeps records generally seen as reliable by UN agencies and international organizations.
- Since the October 10 ceasefire took effect, 1,145 Palestinians and seven Israeli soldiers have been killed, with Israel saying strikes continued in response to threats or attacks.
- Key parts of the US-brokered ceasefire remain stalled: Israeli forces still control more than half of Gaza, Hamas has not disarmed, no new Palestinian government has taken office, and reconstruction has not begun.
- Netanyahu declared Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas disarms, hardening the standoff nearly two years into the war triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
- Israel's main Jewish opposition figures — former PMs Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and hawkish Avigdor Lieberman — announced they will work together to defeat Netanyahu's coalition in next month's vote.
- The opposition bloc pledged to boost turnout, "combat fake news and smear campaigns," and frame the next government's principles, with the election widely viewed as a referendum on the security failures that enabled the October 2023 assault.
Why it matters: With 74,016 Palestinians dead and reconstruction stalled, Israel's opposition is betting that voter anger over October 7 security failures can topple Netanyahu — and a change in government could directly reverse his precondition of no withdrawal until Hamas disarms, rewriting the ceasefire's terms.
Ask SkimNews
