Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday he decided to send a delegation to restart stalled talks with Hamas over the release of hostages, the two administrations announced.
Palestinian rescue teams work to evacuate injured people from homes damaged in an Israeli military strike that destroyed shops in a market in the Gaza Strip’s Old City amid conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Reuters) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
In the phone call between the two leaders, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s position that it would end the nearly nine-month war in Gaza only when all objectives have been achieved, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Your wishes helped India win. Take a look back at India’s epic journey in the T20 World Cup. Click here
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the head of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, would be leading the Israeli delegation to the talks, but this was not immediately confirmed.
Netanyahu is due to meet with his negotiating team later on Thursday and then discuss hostage release talks with his security ministers.
The White House said the two leaders discussed recent actions from Hamas.
“The president welcomed the prime minister’s decision to authorize negotiators to engage with U.S., Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries to conclude the agreement,” the statement said.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
It was unclear where the Israeli delegation would travel to to resume the talks. Previous efforts to end the Gaza conflict have been mediated by Egypt and Qatar, and talks have been held in both places.
Israel received a response from Hamas on Wednesday to a proposal made public by President Biden in late May that included the release of about 120 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire in the Palestinian territories.
A Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters that Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, has shown flexibility on some clauses that could allow a framework agreement to be reached if approved by Israel.
Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hamas insists any deal must end the war and include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel has said it will only accept a temporary cessation of fighting until Hamas is eradicated.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
The plan includes the gradual release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the release of Palestinian prisoners in its first two phases, while the third phase involves the rebuilding of war-torn areas and the return of the bodies of hostages who died.
‘Enough already.’
In Gaza, Palestinians responded cautiously in the face of an Israeli response.
“We hope this is an end to the war. We are exhausted and cannot bear any more setbacks and disappointments,” said Yousef, a father of two who is now taking refuge in the southern exclave of Khan Younis.
“Every hour of this war brings more deaths and more homes destroyed. Enough is enough. I say this to the leaders, to Israel and to the world,” he told Reuters via a chat app.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday that the Palestinian death toll in the nearly nine-month war had risen to more than 38,000 and 87,445 injured. The ministry did not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to an Israeli tally.
An Israeli attack on a school in Gaza City killed five Palestinians and wounded others, according to a civil emergency service, while a separate Israeli attack in Gaza City’s Old City on Thursday killed one woman and wounded several others, medical sources said.
The Israeli military said it had been conducting operations to dismantle Hamas’ military and administrative power, and that it was acting in accordance with international law and taking all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Israeli tanks shelled several locations in eastern Khan Yunis after the Israeli army ordered evacuations on Tuesday, but residents said there was no sign of the tanks moving into those areas.
Looking for refuge
As of Thursday, many Palestinians were still seeking refuge under evacuation orders, including from the border city of Rafah, in the largest evacuation since October when 1.1 million people were ordered to leave the northern part of the exclave, according to the United Nations.
Residents of Khan Younis said many families were sleeping on the roads because they could not find tents.
Health officials said Israeli military planes and tanks bombed several locations in the northern Gaza towns of Shejaia, Sabra, Daraj and Tufa, killing and wounding several Palestinians, including children.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
The Israeli military said its troops and aircraft killed dozens of fighters in those areas and in Rafah in southern Gaza, what Israel considers Hamas’ last stronghold.
Israeli leaders say they are wrapping up a phase of intense fighting with Hamas and will soon move to a more targeted operation.
But after months of conflict, Hamas still claims it has the ammunition to strike back. On Thursday, its militant wing said it had fired missiles at an Israeli operations headquarters east of Gaza City.
The group also claimed its fighters fired a Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile at an Apache helicopter flying over the Shejaiya neighborhood east of Gaza city, but did not say whether the missile hit the target.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Israel did not comment on the allegations.
The war has caused a humanitarian crisis and destroyed most of the exclave’s medical facilities.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that generators at the Nasser Medical Complex, the only functioning main hospital in Khan Yunis, were running out of fuel within hours and called on international humanitarian organizations to help secure new supplies.
(Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Maayan Rubel and Clauda Tanios; Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Sharon Singleton; Editing by Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, David Gregorio and Alex Richardson)
Get the latest updates on World News, USA News, Hollywood News, Anime and top news from around the world. News / World News / Israel sends delegation to negotiate hostage release with Hamas
Source link
