Israel-Hamas conflict update: Netanyahu suggests a cease-fire agreement may be in the works as the number of deaths approaches 39,000
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has hinted that a cease-fire agreement that would release dozens of hostages from Gaza may be developing. Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 39,000 Palestinians have died in the nine-month conflict, while the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a portion of a densely populated area that it had declared a humanitarian zone.
Israel and Hamas are being pressured by Egypt, Qatar, and the US toward a phased agreement that would put an end to hostilities and rescue the remaining hostages. A negotiation team will be dispatched to resume negotiations on Thursday, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The most recent is this: As the conflict in Gaza rages on, Palestinian groups sign a proclamation in the most recent effort to pave the way for a unity administration.
Following a series of meetings aimed at bringing the parties together, the two main Palestinian political figures, together with various smaller Palestinian groups, announced their intention to create a unity government for the Palestinian territories.
However, prior announcements have fallen through, such as a comparable agreement in 2011, raising questions about whether the China-sponsored talks will truly result in a resolution. It also occurs while Israel and Hamas are considering a cease-fire plan supported by the international community that would put an end to the nine-month conflict and release dozens of Israeli hostages that Hamas is holding.
Nevertheless, nothing is certain about Gaza’s future because Israel is adamantly against Hamas having any kind of authority over Gaza. It has also turned down US requests for the Palestinian Authority, which is dominated by Fatah, to take control of Gaza following the conclusion of the conflict. The talks over a cease-fire have been hampered by the absence of a postwar plan for governing the Gaza Strip.
Hamas officials have stated that the party does not want to govern Gaza as it did prior to the conflict since the current conflict began almost ten months ago. Instead, the group has called for the formation of a technocrat-led government that would be agreed upon by the various Palestinian factions and pave the way for elections in both Gaza and the West Bank with the goal of forming a unified government. According to Israel’s Netanyahu, the circumstances for a cease-fire agreement that would free captives held in Gaza are “ripening.”
Israel’s TEL AVIV Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has hinted that a cease-fire agreement that would release dozens of hostages from Gaza may be developing.
According to a statement from his office, Netanyahu stated that the circumstances to free the hostages were “ripening” during a meeting with their families late on Monday in Washington. He claimed that Israel’s intense military pressure on Hamas was the reason behind that.
He did not elaborate on the status of the agreement.
Israel and Hamas have been deliberating for weeks about a cease-fire agreement supported by the US that would end the nine-month conflict and release the approximately 120 captives that Hamas kidnapped on October 7. It is estimated that almost one-third of the hostages had passed away, and the Israeli military revealed on Monday that two additional captives had perished.
Many Israelis are putting tremendous pressure on Netanyahu to accept the agreement. His pledge to vanquish Hamas before ending the conflict has been a major source of contention during the talks.
Before Netanyahu takes off for Washington, where he will address Congress and is anticipated to meet with President Joe Biden, the relatives of the captives had asked that he finalize a settlement. A bill in the Israeli parliament designating a UN Palestinian relief agency as a “terror group” is making progress.
Israel’s Jerusalem — A measure in the Israeli Knesset aims to designate as a terrorist organization the primary organization aiding the Palestinians in Gaza.
In the Israeli parliament, lawmakers approved the bill 50–10 in a preliminary vote on Monday. Two more votes are needed for the bill to become law.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and Israel are at odds, and this has resulted in the bill. Israel has charged the agency with having ties to extremist organizations, stating that hundreds of its staff members belong to these organizations and that some of them may have taken part in the attacks on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7. These charges caused the agency to lose financing on a global scale.
UNRWA supports millions of people throughout the Middle East with essential services and aid while employing thousands of individuals. During the Israel-Hamas conflict, it has been Gaza’s primary source of food, water, and shelter for inhabitants.
The agency would be designated as a “terror group” under the measure that is currently making its way through parliament. It would claim that because of the employees’ purported participation in the Hamas attack, the agency “is a terror organization that is no different from the Hamas terror organization.” Additionally, the law aims to sever diplomatic relations between the agency and Israel.
UNRWA’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, stated that while she wasn’t positive how the bill would impact the organization if it became law, she did believe it would make its job more difficult. She claimed that because of the law, UNRWA is in regular touch with Israeli authorities.
The law has already drawn criticism from the European Union, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, all of whom said it would hinder the agency’s operations.
