Israel launched new strikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Israeli leaders face growing pressure to negotiate and secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
Relatives of the hostages have increased calls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push him to reach an agreement on the release of the captives as the army admits to having killed “by mistake” three of them in the Palestinian territory.
The three hostages killed were among some 250 people captured during the unprecedented attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil which left 1,140 dead, according to the latest data provided by Israeli authorities.
At least 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Sunday, the Hamas health ministry said. Witnesses also reported Israeli bombardment on the southern town of Bani Suheila.
In total, 18,800 people, 70% women, children and adolescents, according to the Islamist group, have been killed since the start of the offensive that Israel launched in retaliation on Gaza, where classified Hamas is in power. “terrorist” organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
Relatives of the hostages gathered at a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
“Our demand is not a fight (against the government). It is a call that anyone would make if it were their father. Take us into consideration and now make a (negotiation) plan. “said Noam Perry, daughter of hostage Haim Perry, at this gathering.
More than 100 Israelis and foreigners captured by Hamas were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a week-long truce last month brokered by Qatar.
The Israeli Prime Minister said on Saturday that “military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and to ensure victory over our enemies.”
But Benjamin Netanyahu also seemed to confirm ongoing diplomatic efforts by Qatar to obtain the release of new hostages. “We have serious criticisms of Qatar, which I suspect you will hear about in due course, but for now we are trying to complete the recovery of our hostages”did he declare.
Qatar confirmed on Saturday its “ongoing diplomatic efforts to renew the humanitarian pause.”
Hamas, however, declared itself “against any negotiations on the exchange of prisoners until the aggression against our people ceases completely”in a message on Telegram.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Saturday evening that he would travel to Israel, Bahrain and Qatar to highlight “Washington’s commitment to strengthening regional security and stability.”
In recent days, the US administration has pushed Israeli authorities to move to a less intensive phase of their operation in Gaza in order to better protect civilians.
Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea met on Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who helped negotiate the previous truce, according to the Axios news site.
The head of French diplomacy Catherine Colonna is also expected in Israel and the West Bank on Sunday, then in Lebanon on Monday.
His ministry condemned on Saturday an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip which caused the death of one of its agents and demanded that “all light be shed”.
In addition to official talks, the minister is expected to meet families of French hostages and call “to a new immediate and lasting humanitarian truce”which should lead to a lasting ceasefire, in order to obtain the release of all the hostages, and to be able to provide humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza, according to a press release from the Quai d’Orsay.
The head of British diplomacy David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, for their part, called for “a lasting ceasefire”as quickly as possible, in a joint column published in the Sunday Times.
But they oppose a “general and immediate ceasefire” considering that Hamas “must lay down its arms”.
“Hunger, illness and low immunity”
Israeli bombings have left much of the territory in ruins and the UN estimates that 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced by the war.
This week, the United Nations warned that hunger and desperation pushing people to grab humanitarian aid risked leading to a “collapse of civil order”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if people started dying of starvation, or a combination of hunger, illness and low immunity”declared Philippe Lazzarini, director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (OCHA).
The agency reported a “prolonged communication outage” in Gaza since Thursday evening and which has continued over the past 48 hours.
Faced with growing international pressure, Israel announced the opening “temporary” of a new entry point for humanitarian aid via the Kerem Shalom terminal, but did not specify when.
Fighting continued on Saturday, with the Israeli army saying it attacked two schools it said were Hamas hideouts in northern Gaza City.
The Israeli army announced on Sunday the death of two of its soldiers, bringing to 121 the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the offensive in Gaza at the end of October.
A mother and her daughter were killed Saturday by an Israeli soldier, and seven people were injured, in the complex housing the only Catholic church in Gaza City, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem was outraged.
Dozens of journalists participated in Khan Younes on Saturday at the funeral of Samer Abou Daqa, cameraman for the Qatari channel Al Jazeera, killed by an Israeli strike
No Comment: Chicago Zoo animals in the snow