Palestinians fleeing the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip arrive in Rafah, on Dec 27, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

GAZA/CAIRO/PARIS - The number of Palestinian casualties due to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip has now risen to 21,110 deaths and 55,243 injuries, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Within the past 24 hours, 195 people were killed while 325 were injured and transported to hospitals due to Israeli attacks.

The ministry later added that an Israeli bombardment near a hospital in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more on Wednesday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced on Wednesday the cancellation of all New Year celebrations due to Israel's continuous military operation on the Gaza Strip

Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesperson of the ministry, said in a statement that the death toll could rise as rescuers searched for survivors under the rubble of a residential building near Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, a densely-populated city in southern Gaza.

Local sources told Xinhua that there were many displaced Palestinians inside the building when the attack happened, while rescuers at the site said most of the victims were retrieved in "dismembered parts."

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Al-Qidra warned against the deliberate targeting by the Israeli army of the vicinity surrounding the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, urging international institutions to take effective and immediate steps to ensure the protection of the complex, its staff, the wounded, and the thousands of displaced people within it.  

Meanwhile, Israel has returned the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to Reuters reports citing the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel said it was returning the bodies after confirming that they were not Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct 7.

The ministry said the bodies were buried and the authorities recorded details to help with later identification. Gaza authorities were trying to figure out when and where the men were killed and who they were.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced on Wednesday the cancellation of all New Year celebrations due to Israel's continuous military operation on the Gaza Strip.

READ MORE: Bethlehem cancels Christmas celebrations due to Gaza conflict

Shtayyeh said the Palestinian government in Ramallah decided during a weekly meeting "to cancel all New Year's Eve celebrations, and there will be marches of anger against the occupation's crimes." 

A handout photo released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan's King Abdullah II (left) and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a meeting in Cairo on Dec 27, 2023. (PHOTO / JORDANIAN ROYAL HASHEMITE COURT (RHC) VIA AFP)

Egypt, Jordan call for ceasefire 

In Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held talks with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday on the Gaza conflict, during which they reiterated the call for an immediate ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

During the meeting, the two state leaders agreed that the international community needs to push for an immediate ceasefire and facilitate the entry of more aid in a speedier manner to "make a real difference" in Gaza, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

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The two leaders affirmed their complete rejection of "all attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue, displace the Palestinians from their lands or force their internal displacement," according to the statement.

They also warned against the risks of an expanding conflict that could destabilize regional security and stability.

Egypt and Jordan have sent humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave through border crossings, most of which was delivered via Egypt's Rafah crossing, a lifeline to Gaza since Oct 21.

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Israel's obligation to protect civilians, the urgent need to deliver aid to the people of Gaza and the importance of working towards a lasting ceasefire by all regional and international partners

Also on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Macron expressed his deep concern over the heavy civilian casualties and the intensifying humanitarian emergency in Gaza.

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The French President reiterated Israel's obligation to protect civilians, the urgent need to deliver aid to the people of Gaza and the importance of working towards a lasting ceasefire by all regional and international partners, according to a statement issued by the presidential Elysee Palace.

To this end, France will be working with Jordan in the coming days to carry out humanitarian operations in Gaza, Macron said, urging Israel to take all necessary steps to stop violence committed by certain settlers against Palestinian civilians, and suspend any settlement project in the West Bank that threatens the two-state solution.

With Reuters inputs