Live blog: Gaza death toll nears 47,500 as more bodies pulled from rubble

Sunday, February 2, 2025

1630 GMT — Palestinian medics recovered nine more bodies from under the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave since October 2023 to 47,498, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that four injured people were also admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the number of the injured to 111,592 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said.

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1615 GMT — Over 61,700 Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war

At least 61,709 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, local authorities said.

“Only 47,487 bodies were transferred to hospitals, while 14,222 remained missing under the rubble,” Salama Marouf, who heads Gaza’s government media office, told a news conference in Gaza City.

He said the victims included 17,881 children, including 214 newborn babies.

“More than 38,000 Palestinian children were orphaned by the Israeli war,” Marouf said.

According to the local official, at least 1,155 medical personnel, 205 journalists, and 194 civil defense workers were also killed during the Israeli onslaught, which also damaged more than 450,000 housing units.

1555 GMT — Jordan royal palace says Trump invites king to White House

Jordan's King Abdullah II has accepted an invitation to visit the White House and meet US President Donald Trump later this month, the royal palace said.

"King Abdullah II will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after His Majesty received an invitation letter from President Trump last week," the royal palace said in a statement.

It comes after Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians from Gaza.

1046 GMT — Qatar calls for full implementation of next ceasefire talks

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called for the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

During a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha, Al Thani stressed the need to start the second phase of the agreement to bring stability to the region.

The first six-week phase of the agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave that killed over 47,400 people, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.

1036 GMT — Freed Palestinian prisoner killed in Israeli strike in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian freed in a prisoner swap deal with Israel last year was killed by an Israeli air strike in the occupied West Bank, local reports said.

Abdul Hadi Issam Alawneh lost his life in the attack that targeted a vehicle Saturday evening in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the Hamas-run Prisoners Media Office said in a statement.

Another Palestinian was killed in the Israeli attack.

Alawneh was released from Israeli custody under a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas in November 2023.

1033 GMT — Many injured Palestinians cross Rafah border for treatment in Egypt

46 injured, sick Palestinians, along with attendants, leave Gaza through Rafah border crossing on 2nd day for treatment in Egypt, according to medical sources tell Anadolu.

1008 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers burn mosque in occupied West Bank

Illegal Israeli settlers have burnt a mosque northwest of Jericho city in the occupied West Bank, according to a local activist.

Hasan Mleihat of the non-governmental Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights said settlers also tried to torch a tractor in the Mleihat Bedouin community in the area.

“The mosque was completely burned down, but residents managed to stop the fire on the tractor,” he added.

Illegal settlers carried out over 2,970 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank in 2024, according to Palestinian figures.

At least 10 Palestinians were killed and over 14,000 olive trees were damaged in these attacks.

0837 GMT — Israeli army conducts large-scale raid in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army launched a large-scale raid in the northern West Bank amid tension in the occupied territory, witnesses said.

Israeli military vehicles and two bulldozers pushed into the town of Tammun, southeast of Tubas city, and Al-Faraa refugee camp and imposed a curfew in the two areas, they added.

According to witnesses, Israeli soldiers forced families out of their homes in Al-Faraa camp and turned the buildings into military outposts.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society accused Israeli forces of preventing its medics from evacuating a sick Palestinian in Al-Faraa camp.

Local authorities in Tubas announced a suspension of school classes in Tammun and Al-Faraa camp following the Israeli raid.

0821 GMT — Israel ramps up attacks in Gaza despite ceasefire

New Israeli attacks were reported in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement that halted a 15-month Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave.

According to witnesses, an Israeli drone fired two missiles near a cart travelling along the coastal Al-Rashid Street northwest of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

No injuries were reported.

The attack has caused panic among Palestinians using the road to return to their areas in northern Gaza, witnesses said.

Israeli forces also opened fire towards Palestinian homes east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza.

2213 GMT — Netanyahu appoints Eyal Zamir as Israel's new army chief of staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Major General Eyal Zamir as the new army chief after the resignation of top general Herzi Halevi.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have agreed on the appointment of Major-General (Res.) Eyal Zamir as the next IDF (Israeli Army) Chief-of-Staff," the premier's office said in a statement.

2119 GMT — Hamas showcases captured Israeli military symbols during Israeli hostage exchange in Gaza

Several Israeli military symbols captured by Palestinian resistance fighters and a locally made sniper rifle were displayed at an event in Gaza, marking the release of the fourth batch of Israeli hostages under the ceasefire and exchange deal.

The Ghoul rifle, developed by the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and named after Adnan al Ghoul, a prominent leader of the Palestinian group killed in 2004, first gained recognition during the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, where it was used in precise sniper operations against Israeli soldiers.

The display of the rifle comes more than a year after the Israeli military claimed to have dismantled key units of the Al Qassam Brigades, including its production capabilities.

Several Israeli military insignia were also displayed, including Unit 8200, known for its intelligence-gathering and code-breaking expertise.

2104 GMT — Israel kills 5 Palestinians in occupied West Bank strikes

Israel has killed five Palestinians in strikes in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

An Israeli air strike on an eastern neighbourhood of Jenin killed 16-year-old Ahmad al Sadi and critically wounded two other people, the ministry said.

A second strike targeted a car, killing two people in the nearby town of Qabatiya, the ministry said, while a third killed two people in central Jenin.

"After the strike that killed the child (Sadi), an Israeli drone strike hit a car in Qabatiya and killed two youths," Jenin governor Kamal Abu al Rub told the AFP news agency.

"Minutes later, another drone strike in Jenin killed two more youths who were on a motorcycle."

2050 GMT — Talks on second phase of Gaza truce to start on Monday: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will start negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire when he meets with US President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington, Netanyahu's office said.

Netanyahu is scheduled to depart Israel on Sunday for Washington, where he is to meet next week with Trump at the White House to discuss Gaza and the Israeli hostages held there.

During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel's positions in respect to the ceasefire, the prime minister's office said.

For our live updates from Saturday, February 1, 2025, click here.