JERUSALEM — An unnamed high-ranking Israeli official said on Tuesday that the government is still resolute in its position that any future ceasefire arrangement in Gaza must include the release of all remaining hostages. As international mediators wait for an official answer from Israel to a fresh truce proposal that Hamas has agreed to, this announcement arrives.
Egypt and Qatar sent Israel the most recent plan, which calls for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of certain hostages in exchange for Palestinian inmates, and more humanitarian aid to be let into the devastated Gaza Strip. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, said that Hamas’s reaction has been “very positive” and is “almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to.”
Since the conflict started in October 2023, there have been two temporary truces as a result of the ongoing indirect talks. However, a permanent ceasefire has not yet been reached. The present idea comes at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under a lot of strain, both at home and internationally. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv, demanding an end to the conflict right away and a deal to rescue the last of the hostages.
There are still 49 hostages in Gaza from Hamas’s first strike, and the Israeli military says that 27 of them are dead. The latest ceasefire discussions are happening at the same time as an Israeli security cabinet plan to take over Gaza City, which relief groups worry will make the already terrible humanitarian crisis in the area even worse.
The fighting on the ground, however, goes on. The civil defense organization in Gaza said that Israeli airstrikes killed 48 Palestinians on Tuesday. The Israeli military, on the other hand, said that it was working to destroy Hamas’s capabilities and made steps to protect civilians. Hussein al-Dairi, who lives in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza, said he was confused and hopeless. “We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians,” he said.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says that at least 62,064 Palestinians have died in the war, which started when Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,219 people.