The death toll from Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 10,000 as the Jewish state enters the second month of its intense military operation in the besieged enclave.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Monday that the death toll has now reached over 10,022 Palestinians, including 4,104 children. Many victims remain trapped beneath the rubble, and the Israeli blockade has severely limited access to essential supplies such as fuel, food, and electricity. According to a spokesperson from the Health Ministry, the number of people wounded since the bombardment began on October 7 has risen to 25,408. The death toll is expected to rise as more than 2,000 people remain buried under the rubble of buildings decimated by the Israeli airstrikes.

In an overnight airstrike, Israel killed at least 16 people in Rafah, with casualties also reported in Khan Younis. A Palestinian journalist and 42 members of his family in Gaza City were killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to his news agency. According to the US-based watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 37 journalists and media workers have lost their lives, with eight more sustaining injuries since the onset of the Israeli bombardment.

While the relentless Israeli offensive rages on with increasing death toll, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) received 93 trucks of essential supplies from the Egyptian Red Crescent through the Rafah crossing, including food, water, relief items, medical equipment, and medications. Since 21 October, a total of 569 aid trucks have reached Gaza.

However, fuel remains blocked by Israel.

Prior to the start of the conflict on 7 October, Gaza relied on 750 to 850 daily truck deliveries for essential goods.

United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has described Gaza as “becoming a graveyard for children” and has called for an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Middle East tour has not yielded the desired results from the US perspective. Blinken visited various Arab states and Turkey, all of which are advocating for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.

One central aspect of Blinken’s mission was to promote the concept of a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict. This pause, he suggested, should be of sufficient duration to facilitate negotiations for the release of captives in Gaza and to provide essential humanitarian aid to the beleaguered population.

Israel has shown some reluctance to embrace the term “pause”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while open to little pauses, maintains that Israel will maintain security control over Gaza for an indefinite period.

Secretary Blinken is scheduled to head to Japan for the G7 meeting, where Gaza is expected to be a prominent issue on the agenda. However, unlike the unified stance of G7 leaders on the Ukraine conflict, there is no consensus within the G7 regarding Gaza, particularly concerning the terms of a ceasefire.