Israel-Hamas war latest: Palestinian death toll surpasses 40,000 as mediators hold cease-fire talks

The White House says a new round of talks aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war has resumed in Doha and is expected to run into Friday. Farhan Haq told reporters Thursday that from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ standpoint, “this is yet another reason why we need to have a cease-fire now, as well as the release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.” The Gaza Health Ministry reported earlier Thursday that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war. On the ground, Haq said the U.N. humanitarian office reports that “hostilities and recurrent evacuation orders are driving a seemingly endless cycle of displacement — and making it increasingly difficult for people to access the humanitarian assistance they need to survive after 10 months of war.” One Palestinian shot and killed by Israeli settlers storming village in occupied West Bank JERUSALEM — One Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank Thursday night, Palestinian health officials said, as footage from the village showed settlers storming it. The United Nations’ human rights chief said the latest number of dead in Gaza “marks a grim milestone for the world.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement issued in Geneva that “this unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war.” Türk added that “the scale of the Israeli military’s destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking.” He said that his office has documented serious violations of international humanitarian law both by the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including the armed wing of Hamas. “We tried to provide those things, but it was hard because we were displaced from one place to the other.” Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank, says the Health Ministry in the occupied territory RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Health Ministry in the West Bank said Thursday that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied territory, the latest deaths in surging violence there.