U.S. proposes draft resolution for Gaza cease-fire

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Monday said that the death toll in Gaza had passed 29,000 people since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas. Hamas forces started the war on Oct. 7 of last year when Palestinian militants crossed into Israel and killed roughly 1,200 Israelis.

Are the Gaza Health Ministry’s reports accurate? The ministry does not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties, but earlier this month claimed that 12,300 of the deceased persons in its death toll were children or young teens, and another 8,400 were women. The Israeli Defense Forces has listed on one of its websites the various ways it seeks to prevent civilian casualties.

What plans are in place to end this conflict? U.S. officials have reportedly been circulating a draft text of a cease-fire resolution to other countries in the UN. According to a report by The Associated Press, which says it has seen a copy of the proposal, the resolution calls for a cease-fire if Hamas releases all hostages. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Saturday said U.S. officials had been working on a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel, and that “the key elements were on the table” for a lasting peace. In the statement, Thomas-Greenfield also rejected a cease-fire resolution proposed by Algeria.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the families of Israeli hostages calling for their loved ones’ release.