STORY: Gaza’s health ministry on Thursday said the death toll from ten months of Israel’s military offensive had crossed 40,000.

In a statement, the Palestinian health ministry said another 40 people had been killed in the past 24 hours in the war-ravaged enclave.

The grim milestone comes as a new round of ceasefire talks was underway in Qatar’s capital Doha, aimed at ending the bloody conflict and securing the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza.

:: October 7, 2023

The fighting began when Palestinian fighters rampaged through Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 and taking around 250 captives back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israel pledged to eradicate the Hamas Islamist group that rules Gaza, and its onslaught has reduced much of the densely-populated territory to rubble, and rendered most of its 2.3 million residents homeless.

:: August 14, 2024

A ceasefire outlined in the spring by U.S. President Joe Biden would pause fighting and begin the return of the hostages. But both sides have blamed the other for failing to reach an agreement.

Palestinian Um Mohammed al-Najjar said she wished those meeting in Qatar would look upon her with mercy. She said wished for a ceasefire today, before tomorrow.

In Tel Aviv, relatives of those held hostage demanded the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a deal returning the captives.

Yotam Cohen’s brother Nimrod is among the hostages. His message to the negotiating team in Qatar was that if they could not bring home the captives, that they should not return to Israel. He said they have no reason to come home empty-handed.

The high-level negotiations on Thursday include Israeli, Egyptian, and American spy chiefs, and Qatar’s prime minister.

And the discussions are underway under the shadow of even wider regional tensions.

U.S. warships, submarines and warplanes have been dispatched to the region to defend Israel and deter a potential Iranian attack.

:: August 2, 2024

Tehran had vowed to retaliate after it blamed Israel for a blast that killed a top Hamas figure in the Iranian capital.

Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel.