Evening recap

Good evening readers of Middle East Eye,

Today marked the 61st day of the Israeli war in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll since 7 October has been increasing.

In Gaza, 16,248 people have been killed including 7,112 children, 4,885 women, 286 medical professionals, 32 paramedics, and 81 journalists. In the West Bank, the number of those killed is 254.

The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territories reported that Israeli forces have claimed to have carried out at least 10,000 air strikes since the start of the hostilities on 7 October.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk warned there was a heightened risk of atrocity crimes in "apocalyptic" Gaza, urging parties involved to refrain from committing such violations. 

Here are some of the  updates from the past few hours: 

• The US said it would oppose any suggested buffer zone within the Gaza Strip, as this would contradict Washington’s stance that the size of the Palestinian territory should not diminish following the Israel-Palestine war.
• The state of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany announced that residents who apply for citizenship will be required to declare in writing that they believe in Israel's right to exist.
• An Israeli air strike which struck Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp killed 22 family members of Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Moemen al-Sharifi.
• Israel would pay a very heavy price if it targets Hamas members in Turkey, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
• The World Food Programme called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, warning of a disaster unfolding for the civilian population.