People search for victims in the rubble of a house in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip after it was hit in an Israeli air strike on Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

GAZA/RAMALLAH/ADDIS ABABA - The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,985, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday.

In a press statement sent to Xinhua, the ministry said that 68,883 Palestinians have been wounded in the coastal enclave since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, 2023.

The Israeli army killed 127 Palestinians and wounded 205 others during the last 24 hours, the ministry added.

It noted that some victims remain under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews.

In addition, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip witnessed several direct attacks from Israeli tanks.

READ MORE: Hamas: Israel obstructing efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza

The association said in a press statement that Israeli forces targeted the fourth floor, causing major material damage and setting the eastern side of the hospital on the blaze, which led to a patient being trapped with his companions, and the medical teams were able to evacuate them at very high risk.

Israeli public radio said the raid, carried out by the army, the police, and the Shin Bet security service, targeted a senior militant in Tulkarm and a senior Hamas official, along with three other suspects

The statement indicated that gunfire targeted the hospital's fuel tanks, and the crews were not able to determine the extent of the damage due to the high risk.

Meanwhile, Palestinian and Israeli officials said two Palestinians were killed and an Israeli soldier was seriously wounded in a gun battle during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Nabil Amer, 19, and Mohammed Al-Awfi, 36, who were shot by Israeli troops in the Tulkarm camp. It said that Israel had seized Al-Awfi's body.

Palestinian security sources said Israeli forces entered the camp and cordoned it off, sparking clashes with local youths. They added that the Israeli troops surrounded a house in the camp, where they deployed snipers and helicopters.

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Israeli public radio said the raid, carried out by the army, the police, and the Shin Bet security service, targeted a senior militant in Tulkarm and a senior Hamas official, along with three other suspects.

It said the police, acting on Shin Bet intelligence, arrested Al-Awfi, who the Israeli side said was a wanted man in Tulkarm and was involved in shooting attacks on Israeli forces and settlers. He was also suspected of killing Tulkarm residents who were accused of collaborating with Israel, the Israeli radio added.

The radio said Al-Awfi was killed after exchanging fire with the troops, who confiscated his weapons. It said another gunman was also killed and a third was wounded when they opened fire and threw explosives at the soldiers.

It said one Israeli soldier was seriously injured by gunfire and taken to hospital.

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Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.  

Families walk on a bulldozed road as they evacuate their children from school after an Israeli raid on the Tulkarm camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

Palestine: Statehood key to regional stability

The Palestinian presidency said on Sunday that a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital was essential for resolving the conflict and ensuring stability in the region.

The statement by Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh came after the Israeli government unanimously rejected any "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state by other countries.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the recognition of a Palestinian state by the United Nations did not need Netanyahu's approval or permission

Abu Rudeineh warned of "different and dangerous" challenges ahead and said the Palestinian position was firm against the "extremist and obstinate" Israeli stance and the "contradictory" US position.

He urged more Arab and international action to stop "aggression and war" and said Israel's continued attacks on Palestinians and their holy sites in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem would not bring security and stability to anyone.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that recognizing a Palestinian state at this stage would be a "reward for terrorism" and would undermine the chances of a lasting peace deal.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the recognition of a Palestinian state by the United Nations did not need Netanyahu's approval or permission.

It said all countries could recognize the state of Palestine without any legal or political obstacles and accused Netanyahu of destroying the prospects of statehood by annexing and expanding settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and isolating Gaza.  

International solidarity to Palestine

Also on Sunday, African leaders urged for an "immediate end" to the Palestine-Israel conflict, calling for international solidarity with Palestine during the 37th African Union (AU) summit.

The current situation in Gaza is "an evident illustration of the imperative for reform" within the international system "marked by considerable injustice and varying standards," said Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, AU chairperson for 2024 and Mauritanian president, at the opening session of the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government.

African heads of state attend the 37th Ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Summit at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb 17, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, AU chairperson for 2024 and Mauritanian president, expressed concern over the international community's "hesitancy to exert the necessary influence for an immediate ceasefire, aid delivery, and the establishment of a comprehensive and enduring solution"

"It is paramount to recognize the Palestinians' inherent right to establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in alignment with pertinent resolutions of international legitimacy," Ghazouani told African leaders.

READ MORE: Israel says its forces killed Hamas, Hezbollah commanders

He expressed concern over the international community's "hesitancy to exert the necessary influence for an immediate ceasefire, aid delivery, and the establishment of a comprehensive and enduring solution".

Ghazouani commended the AU for its "steadfast positions" on the matter, which "denounce injustice and champion just causes adhering to international law and humanitarian principles".

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission, also underscored the urgent need to address the Palestinian issue.

"Hegemony and the absurd desire to resolve our differences by brutal and vain force prevail publicly before the eyes of all," Faki said, adding that international law, international humanitarian law, human rights, and morality have been "blithely ignored, trampled underfoot, and flouted".

Noting the crucial need to enforce justice, Faki praised the "ethical reaction" of South Africa.

On Dec 29, 2023, South Africa filed an application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for proceedings against Israel. The following month, the ICJ ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent genocide acts in the Gaza Strip.

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Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye, addressing the summit, also commended the AU for its continued call for "an end to the killing and the aggression that is perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people".

Ishtaye underscored the two-state solution as the only option to solve the Israel-Palestine issue peacefully. "The world needs to recognize the State of Palestine on the basis of the borders of 1967," he said.

The summit is held under the AU's theme for 2024, "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa," at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.