Health officials in Gaza said on Saturday that the death toll in the enclave has topped 69,000 since fighting with Israel began in 2023.

Authorities said 69,169 people lost their lives in the conflict since October 2023, of whom 241 were killed after the ceasefire came into effect.

The situation in the Gaza Strip remains unstable. Israeli forces have continued to periodically attack even after the start of the ceasefire on October 10.

Reuters and other media outlets report that negotiators have proposed a plan calling for over 100 Hamas fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area in southern Gaza to surrender their arms in exchange for safe passage to other areas of the enclave.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, speaking at an event held in the US, said that whether the fighters turn over their weapons is a test for the model of what the United States is trying to do across Gaza.

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