🔴 Live: Ramadan brings no relief as Israel-Hamas war rages in Gaza

File photo: Dozens of mosques in Gaza have been destroyed, forcing worshippers to pray amid the ruins © Said Khatib, AFP

The first day of Ramadan arrived in war-ravaged Gaza on Monday as UN and aid groups say only a fraction of the supplies needed for the enclave’s 2.4 million people have been allowed in since Israel placed it under near-total siege after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7. Follow FRANCE 24's liveblog for all the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.

Summary

• The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began Monday in much of the world, ending hopes for a new ceasefire by the start of the holy month after a latest round of truce talks in Cairo stalled.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "silencing the guns" in Gaza in honour of Ramadan.
• A ship belonging to Spanish aid group Open Arms containing 200 tonnes of food is still waiting to set sail from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip. A Cypriot government spokesperson said Sunday the vessel was to depart "within the coming hours”.
• Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected US President Joe Biden's assessment that his approach to the conflict is"hurting Israel more than helping".
• At least 31,112 Palestinians have been killed and 72,760 wounded since Israel started its offensive on Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Around 1,140 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.

Yesterday's key developments:

• Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz said the international community must assume its responsibilities to halt what he called "brutal crimes" against Palestinians in Gaza.

• Hundreds of members of the Jewish community and their supporters blew ram's horn shofars and whistles in London in a call to free Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants in the attack last October.

•  A US military ship laden with humanitarian aid set sail from Virginia to Gaza, Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday. The General Frank S. Besson also has logistics to "carry the first equipment" to build a temporary port to help deliver supplies to Gaza. 

About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:

Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.

The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. 

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies. 

For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.

(FRANCE 24 with AP) 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)