- LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Hamas says Israel has refused to accept seven women and children and the bodies of three other hostages in exchange for extending the ceasefire
- Israel says there is no agreement on the release of hostages, so the military is ready to resume military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip
GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov 30 (Portal) – A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was due to expire at 0500 GMT on Thursday, as efforts to extend a six-day lull in fighting and exchange hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians expire scarce became prisoners.
The ceasefire, extended from the first four days, brought the first reprieve from the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as much of the coastal area of 2.3 million people was turned into wasteland in response to a deadly rampage by Hamas militants in southern Israel on October 7 .
Doron Spielman, an Israeli military spokesman, said in a briefing on social media that no agreement had been reached on the release of the next hostages.
“And if that framework actually expires, the (Israeli military) … are fully positioned and ready to simply resume our operations, our military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Hamas, which released 16 hostages on Wednesday in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners, said Israel had refused to take another seven women and children and the bodies of three more hostages in exchange for extending the ceasefire.
“This is despite confirmation by intermediaries that this group is the only group that the (Hamas) movement has in terms of detainees in the agreed category,” Hamas said in a statement.
Hamas had previously said that a family of three Israeli hostages, including the youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of the enclave.
Citing Israeli officials, Israeli media reported that the military would resume attacks on Gaza at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) if the government had not received a list of hostages to be released that met its criteria by then .
Hamas’ armed wing told its fighters in the Gaza Strip they were ready to resume fighting with Israel if the temporary ceasefire was not renewed.
“The Al-Qassam Brigades asks its active forces to maintain a high level of combat readiness in the final hours of the ceasefire,” the militant group said in a statement.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which rules Gaza, in response to the militant group’s Oct. 7 rampage in which gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostage, according to Israel.
Before the ceasefire, Israel bombed the area for seven weeks, killing more than 15,000 Palestinians in the coastal strip, according to health authorities.
Release all hostages
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv early Thursday, his third trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attack, and was set to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending the temporary ceasefire and increasing humanitarian aid in Talking about Gaza.
“Looking forward to the next few days, we will focus on doing everything we can to extend the pause so we can continue to get more hostages out and provide more humanitarian assistance,” Blinken said during a stop in Brussels.
US President Joe Biden is committed to securing the release of all hostages held by Hamas following the release of American Liat Beinin on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement.
The US is calling on Israel to restrict the combat zone and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek shelter during an Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip, US officials said on Wednesday, to prevent a repeat of the massive death toll from Israel’s attacks in the northern Gaza Strip .
According to a Portal tally, 97 hostages have been released since the ceasefire began. According to the Israeli military, there are still 145 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday evening, two Russian citizens and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement, while five people with dual nationality were among the 10 Israeli citizens released, officials said. There was a Dutch dual citizen who is also a minor, three German dual citizens and a US dual citizen.
The ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners were brokered by Qatar, another country that pushed for an extension of the ceasefire.
“Qatar remains confident that the progress made in recent days can be maintained and a further extension of the agreement on the suspension of humanitarian assistance can be achieved,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.
Jordan will host a conference on Thursday involving major UN, regional and international aid agencies to coordinate aid to Gaza, official media said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe” and he and others called for a ceasefire to replace the temporary truce.
“Intense negotiations are taking place to extend the ceasefire – which we very much welcome – but we believe we need a real humanitarian ceasefire,” he told a UN Security Council meeting.
China called on the Security Council on Thursday to formulate a “concrete” timetable and roadmap for a two-state solution to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting” solution to the Palestinian issue.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo; Mohammed Salem and Roleen Tafakji in Gaza and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; writing by Grant McCool and Lincoln Feast; Edited by Cynthia Osterman and Raju Gopalakrishnan
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.
Acquire license rights, opens new tab