Gaza's grim death toll after two months of so-called 'ceasefire'

The al-Saftawi neighborhood, west of the city of Jabalia, in northern Gaza, on December 10, 2025. BASHAR TALEB / AFP

onald Trump has boasted that the truce that was implemented under his auspices in the Gaza Strip since October 10 extends far beyond the Palestinian enclave. According to the US president, "for the first time in 3,000 years" the agreement represents "the historic dawn of a new Middle East."

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Gaza truce fragile after Israeli strikes defy ceasefire

In reality, the suspension of hostilities between Israel and Hamas has been a highly relative one, even though it enabled the swift release of the remaining Israeli hostages abducted on October 7, 2023, and the painstaking return of the bodies of those who died in captivity.