middle East
No prisoner negotiations or “exchange agreements” without a “complete cessation of aggression.” Hamas reiterates its position and rejects the possibility of a ceasefire with Israel. The organization that governs the Gaza Strip also released a video showing three hostages, Elia Toledano, Ron Sherman and Nik Beizer, whose bodies were recovered by the Israeli army last week. The video directly blames Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their deaths and claims that they were killed by IDF attacks. Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida said that “if the enemy wants its prisoners to live,” he has no choice but to “stop the aggression.” Netanyahu's statements are equally harsh: “The choice I offer Hamas is very simple: surrender or death,” “they have and will have no other choice.” The Israeli prime minister then reiterated that neither Hamas nor Fatah, the Party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who will govern the Gaza Strip. However, according to Arab media, negotiations between the two parties in Cairo are still ongoing. The proposal – Egyptian sources reported – envisages a ratio of one to ten, i.e. one Israeli hostage for every ten Palestinian prisoners. However, Tel Aviv would like to know in advance which Palestinian prisoners are on Hamas' list before accepting them. Egypt, in turn, had asked Hamas for information about the conditions of the 40 hostages that Israel would like to release first. A list that includes women, the elderly and the sick. Expectations also remain high about what could happen in the UN Security Council, where intensive diplomatic mediation work is underway regarding the new Gaza resolution.
The vote has been postponed several times in recent days. The aim is to avoid a US veto. On the ground, however, the Israeli army stepped up its offensive in central Gaza City, where it announced it was in “complete control” of the Shejaiya neighborhood after fierce fighting with Palestinian militiamen. According to the Israeli military, dozens of tunnels found under homes, schools and clinics, as well as weapons caches, were destroyed. According to Al Jazeera, Israel Defense Forces bulldozers destroyed the Sheikh Shaban cemetery in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip. “The dead were exhumed and crushed under the bulldozers,” the Arab television correspondent said, explaining that “parts of the bodies, including those of children,” were “clearly visible.” The humanitarian situation is dramatic. A report released by the United Nations found that more than half a million people in Gaza are “starving” because not enough food is entering the Strip since the war broke out more than two months ago. Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Program, spoke of the risk of “real famine within the next six months.” Tensions also remain high on Israel's northern border, where Hezbollah continues to fire rockets at the Jewish state. Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's War Cabinet, warned Beirut: “Lebanon must and will be held accountable for terrorism emanating from its territory.”