Israel, Hamas and international actors are engaged in what are seen as the most serious negotiations in months over a possible ceasefire deal in the besieged Gaza Strip, where dozens of Palestinians continue to be killed daily by Israeli attacks.
Hamas said in an official statement on Tuesday that in light of the “positive” negotiations held in Doha with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, reaching a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange agreement “is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions.”
Sources cited in Israeli media have also expressed growing optimism in recent days that the strongest diplomatic push for a ceasefire deal since August could yield results.
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations said Wednesday that mediators had narrowed differences on most of the deal’s terms. He said Israel had introduced conditions that Hamas rejected, but he would not elaborate.
“This optimism is cautious because we have been here before and efforts were scuttled at the last minute due to new conditions and different considerations,” said Tel Aviv Tribune’s Nour Odeh.
“At the moment, as we understand, the discussions are about the details, about the names of those who will be released from Gaza and also those who will be released on the Palestinian side. The outgoing and incoming US administrations have a vested interest in this agreement, even if it does not lead to an end to the war.”
At least 45,097 Palestinians have been killed and 107,244 injured during more than 14 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza that began after at least 1,139 people were killed in Israel in an attack carried out by the Hamas on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were captured. captive. Nearly half of the prisoners have since been released after a week-long break in fighting last year.
In the United States, Israel’s main military and political backer, President Joe Biden pledged this week that he would continue working to get remaining prisoners out of the territory, while President-elect Donald Trump said he would would have “hell to pay” if they are not released by the time he takes office in January.
The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bill Burns, is expected in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments and will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to US media Axios.
Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that a deal was “closer than ever,” but clarified a day later that after the army defeats Hamas, it will “will control security in Gaza with complete freedom of action.”
“We will not allow a return to the reality before October 7,” he said in a statement, adding that Israeli control over Gaza will be similar to that of the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli army launches numerous violent raids daily in the West Bank, regularly killing, injuring or arresting Palestinians and demolishing their homes.
In its latest statement, Hamas did not mention Israeli insistence on maintaining control of Gaza even if a deal was reached, but it has previously said Israeli forces must withdraw from the enclave.
The group’s conditions previously included a withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Netzarim Corridor that the Israeli military established to separate southern and northern Gaza, as well as a increase in humanitarian aid and reconstruction of the enclave.
Israel maintains hospital siege in northern Gaza
While discussions over a possible ceasefire agreement appear to be gaining momentum, numerous Israeli attacks continue to hit Gaza with devastating effect.
In some of their latest attacks on Wednesday, Israeli forces hit the intensive care unit of the besieged Kamal Adwan hospital in the north and knocked it out of service, director Hussam Abu told Tel Aviv Tribune Safia.
Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people at a house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, while six people were killed in separate airstrikes in Gaza City, in the Nuseirat camp, in the central areas, and in Rafah, near the border with Egypt.
In Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said four people were killed in an airstrike on a house.
There were also numerous casualties after Israeli forces bombed a tent in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in the territory continues to be catastrophic, with the Israeli army continuing to block most aid, particularly to the north, which has been under a severe siege and blockade for more than 70 days.
It comes as the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted for a resolution in favor of a Palestinian state, with 172 countries voting in favor and only eight – including Israel and the United States – opposing it.