Evening recap

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

The number of Palestinians killed crossed 14,000 and among the dead are at least 5,840 children.

But Palestinians might get a brief respite from death and destruction as details about a potential prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas slowly emerge.

Senior Israeli officials are holding a series of meetings to discuss a short-term truce deal which would see a prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

Up to 50 Israelis or Israeli dual nationals, mainly women and children, would be released by Hamas over a four-day period when there would be a ceasefire.

In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian captives being held in Israeli jails, mainly women and children.

The deal is widely expected to be approved despite opposition from Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir the Minister of National SecurityIn other updates:

• The celebrated Palestinian essayist and poet, Mosab Abu Toha, held by Israeli forces on Sunday, was released today and re-joined his family in Gaza
• South Africa’s parliament voted by a strong majority to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa, send the Israeli ambassador home, and suspend diplomatic relations with Israel
• Palestinian media outlets have reported a major strike in the Hamad Town area of Khan Younis which killed 10 and wounded at least 22
• The head of the World Health Organisation mourned the “devastating” loss of one of its employees in Gaza alongside her six-month-old baby, husband, and two brothers
• The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) said that it’s going through one of its “darkest chapters”, as at least 108 staff have been killed by Israeli strikes.
• Stuart Seldowitz, who worked on the National Security Council under the Obama administration was filmed in a racist tirade calling for the murder of more Palestinian children