Evening recap

Good evening readers of Middle East Eye,

Israeli forces have killed at least 187 Palestinians in air strikes across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Friday. 

This brings the death toll since 7 October to at least 21,500 with almost 56,000 wounded and 7,000 missing who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble. 

Overall, around four percent of Gaza's population have been killed, wounded or gone missing in less than three months of bombardment. 

In other developments:

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken authorised the prospective sale of M107 155mm projectiles and associated equipment to Israel, valued at $147.5m, bypassing the customary congressional review process.
• The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said he was "very concerned" regarding the escalating threat of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip.
• South Africa filed a case against Israel for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice.
• US President Joe Biden extended the duty-free reciprocal trade agreement and concessions with Israel, covering specific amounts of certain agricultural products until 31 December 2024.
• More than 1,000 children in Gaza have had one or more limbs amputated since the Israeli onslaught began on 7 October, with many undergoing the procedure without anaesthetic, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) revealed.
• Over 29,000 people in Gaza are dead or missing since the Israeli onslaught started on 7 October.