As the Israeli army takes increasing action against Islamist Hamas in southern Gaza, war mediators try to find a new ceasefire. Hopes for a possible new deal to free Israeli hostages from Hamas violence in exchange for a longer pause in fighting have risen, The Times of Israel newspaper reported last night.
According to a US media report, Hamas was open to negotiating the release of some Israeli hostages. The Islamists told mediators they were willing to talk about the release of civilian women and children in exchange for a “meaningful” ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Egyptian officials.
Hamas has already linked the releases to the end of the war
Hamas has already associated new hostage releases with the end of the war. According to information from the Israeli government, terrorists still hold around 130 people they kidnapped from Israel in the Gaza Strip during the October 7 attack. Among them were Israeli soldiers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Israeli government believes that 105 hostages are still alive and many of them are being held in Hamas' network of underground tunnels.
Report: Positive development
According to information from the news portal Axios, Israel had proposed a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages. The offer was handed over to mediators in Egypt and Qatar, who are currently trying to bridge the gap between the different demands.
While the latest development is positive, it doesn't mean a deal is imminent, the Wall Street Journal wrote. Negotiations could still fail, according to Egyptian officials.
Guterres criticizes Netanyahu
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized yesterday, at the UN Security Council, the rejection of a two-state solution by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the government.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army claims to have killed dozens of terrorists in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that more than 100 terrorists had been “eliminated” in the west of the city on Tuesday. The information could not initially be independently verified.