GAZA: The death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip has risen to 72,072 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with injuries reaching 171,741, Gaza’s health authorities said on Sunday.
Health authorities reported on Sunday that in the past 48 hours, two Palestinians were killed and three others injured by Israeli attacks, while additional victims remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, with rescue teams unable to reach them so far.
Since a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect last October, 614 Palestinians have been killed and 1,643 others wounded, according to the authorities.
Israeli forces have also killed several Hamas leaders, including two former chiefs since the war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
FASTFACT
Since a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect last October, 614 Palestinians have been killed and 1,643 others wounded, according to the authorities.
A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that the Palestinian movement was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing for the position.
Hamas recently completed the formation of a new Shoura Council of more than 80 members, a consultative body largely composed of religious scholars, as well as a new 18-member political bureau, the official said.
“The movement has completed its internal elections in the three regions and has reached the final stage of selecting the head of the political bureau,” the official said.
He added that the race for the group’s leadership was now between Khaled Meshaal and Khalil Al-Hayya.
A second Hamas source confirmed the development.
Members of the council are elected every four years by representatives from Hamas’ three branches: the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the movement’s external leadership.
Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails are also eligible to vote.
The council subsequently elects the political bureau, which in turn selects the head of the movement.
A third Hamas source said the new leader will serve for only “one year... a transitional period.”
Thousands of Hamas members voted to choose the council and the political bureau, the source added, without specifying how the vote was conducted.
“The primary goal of the process was to renew internal legitimacy and fill leadership vacancies,” the source added.
