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President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned of the potential cost if Israel and Hamas do not agree to a ceasefire before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and said it was up to to the militant group to accept a six-week ceasefire deal that is on the table.
Egyptian and Qatari officials are putting pressure on Hamas negotiators in Cairo to produce a list of hostages to be released as the first step in a phased ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks on a cease-fire and hostage deal, the framework for which Israel “more or less” agreed to in Paris in late February. Israel is not sending a high-level delegation to Cairo talks, one Israeli official told NBC News, but is increasingly optimistic a deal can be reached by the start of Ramadan on March 10. Any pause in fighting could also allow more aid into Gaza, amid warnings
What we knowHamas officials arrived in Cairo today for talks on a cease-fire and hostage deal, the frameowrk for which Israel agreed to in Paris in late February. An Israeli official told NBC News that there was intense U.S. pressure on all sides to reach an agreement by the start of Ramadan, on March 10. Israel has essentially accepted the proposed framework of a Gaza cease-fire if Hamas agrees to release sick, elderly and women hostages, according to a U.S. senior administration official yesterday. The current deal would be more complicated than the earlier cease-fire due to its length, but the six-week deal “has the potential to extend from there.” The U.S. completed its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza yesterday, delivering 66 pallets of food containing 38,000 meals. The Israeli military welcomed the drop, saying it “makes the fighting possible.” Aid organizations criticized the tactic as “absolutely incomprehensible” and “completely insufficient” for the needs of 2.2 million Gazans, many of whom are facing starvation. Rescuers continue to recover bodies from Nabulsi roundabout in Gaza City, where more than 100 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians hoping to get food. The IDF has confirmed and denied shooting into the crowd, and blamed most of the deaths on a stampede. Aid agencies and health workers said “a large number” of the dead and injured from the aid convoy violence had gunshot wounds. Gaza death toll has passsed 30,400, according to the Health Ministry there, amid surging fears of starvation in the north of the territory. More than 70,300 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead. Israeli military officials said at least 242
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Mediators are making progress on an agreement for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, Israeli media reported Sunday.
What we knowNegotiations in Cairo are at an impasse as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas' demands "delusional," in a statement yesterday and said there was no point in further negotiations without a change in their position. Hamas is seeking a permanent cease-fire and the release of 1500 prisoners in exchange for hostages. Netanyahu also said yesterday that the military remains intent on continuing its offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where about 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking refuge.Israel's plans are in defiance of the international community and the United States. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have publicly stated that the U.S. cannot support a ground invasion into Rafah without a credible and implementable plan for ensuring the safety of the people sheltering there.The International Court of Justice will begin historic hearings tomorrow about the legality of Israel's 57-year occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The siege of Nasser Hospital by Israeli forces in Khan Younis enters its fourth day. More than 100 people have been detained, including staff members. About 10,000 people are sheltering at the hospital complex, which is struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies. Heavy construction on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza are stoking Palestinians' fears of expulsion. Israel denies plans to do so, and the Egyptian president rejected the displacement of Palestinians, but its foreign minister said: “it is not our intention to provide any safe areas or facilities, but … we will provide the support to the innocent civilians, if that was to take place.”
What we knowIsraeli forces remained in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after raiding it early Thursday. The Gaza Health Ministry said it is struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water, and that the electricy had been shut off, leading to the deaths of five intensive care patients. Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant said the country is "thoroughly planning" its promised ground invasion of Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, after President Joe Biden warned that Israel must have a "credible and executable plan" to protect the roughly 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there. French President Emmanuel Macron said his country could assist efforts for the recognition of a Palestinian state if efforts for a two-state solution stalls due to Israeli opposition. "The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," Macron said in Paris yesterday, alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II. On-going negotiations in Cairo for a cease-fire remain tense as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back hard yesterday against the U.S. vision for the region after the war — chaffing at "international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians." Satellite images show extensive construction and a wall being built in Egypt along its border with Gaza. Dozens of bulldozers and earth movers can be seen clearing the land in the Sinai Desert, and construction equipment is also visible. Egyptian officials have denied they are building an enclosure to house displaced Palestinians.