There is also growing fear across the Middle East that the conflict could spill over and escalate into a full-scale regional war.

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the current round of Israeli-Hamas conflict began on Oct. 7 has surpassed 40,000, Gaza-based health authorities confirmed on Thursday.

With an additional 40 people killed over the past 24 hours, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 40,005.

The tragic milestone comes as the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered its 10th month, while the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave has been worsening.

So far, about 305 square kilometers, or nearly 84 percent of the Gaza Strip, have been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to an update released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Monday.

Since July 4, the UN Human Rights Office has recorded 21 strikes against schools serving as shelters in the Strip, which have resulted in at least 274 fatalities, including women and children, the update said.

Water, food and fuel supplies in Gaza are critically low, while diseases like Hepatitis A continue to spread across the strip, according to the UN office.

"Two out of every three buildings in Gaza are damaged or destroyed," Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said on the social media platform X. "These include people's homes, schools, markets, and places of worship. The once closely-knit society and kinship are being torn apart day by day, under our watch."

There is also growing fear across the Middle East that the conflict could spill over and escalate into a full-scale regional war.

Iran and its allies vowed to revenge for the killings of Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah senior military commander Fouad Shokor in Beirut, which both occurred in late July.

In the face of potential retaliatory strikes from Iran and its allies, Israel is monitoring the situation "with all capabilities," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said Monday. "We are at the highest state of readiness in both offense and defense."

Amid heightened regional tensions, mediators of the fragile Gaza ceasefire talks, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States, urged Israel and Hamas on Aug. 8 not to delay finalizing a ceasefire agreement. Israel is expected to send a delegation to the latest round of talks on Thursday, while Hamas has called for the implementation of previously approved plans rather than engaging in further negotiations or introducing new proposals.

Notably, days before the scheduled ceasefire talks in Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved a 20-billion-U.S. dollar sale of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel, boosting the country's military capability.

Addressing the UN Security Council earlier this month, Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the UN, called on all parties to respond to the "overwhelming consensus of the international community" and to jointly promote the "full and effective" implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe and to contain the spillover of the conflict.

On Monday, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the delivery and distribution of aid to the people of Gaza.

Despite U.S. President Joe Biden's claim on Tuesday that an Iranian attack on Israel could be averted if Israel and Hamas manage to reach a ceasefire deal, the outcome of Thursday's negotiations -- dubbed by many as the "last chance" for a truce -- remains uncertain.■