An Israeli delegation is currently in Qatar to discuss a potential deal concerning Gaza hostages and a ceasefire, as an Israeli official disclosed, while hospital reports in Gaza indicate that 38 individuals have lost their lives due to Israeli airstrikes.
These airstrikes occur just a day prior to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to the White House.
He is set to meet with US President Donald Trump tomorrow, who has pledged to take a firm stance with the Israeli leader in an effort to halt the ongoing war in Gaza.
Netanyahu en route to Washington
Before boarding Israel’s state aircraft destined for Washington, Mr. Netanyahu stated: “We are striving to reach this deal that we have previously discussed, under the terms that we have consented to.”
He emphasized that he had sent the delegation to Doha “with specific directives,” and believed that the meeting with Mr. Trump “could certainly help facilitate this (deal), which we all hope for.”
Civil defense teams and Palestinian residents are examining the sites and conducting search and rescue operations.
Mediators in Qatar for ceasefire discussions
This development comes as international mediators, aiming to finalize a ceasefire agreement to conclude the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, have notified the Palestinian faction that negotiations would recommence today.
“Mediators have informed Hamas that a new round of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel will start today in Doha,” a Palestinian official close to Hamas said.
The official mentioned that the Hamas delegation, led by top negotiator Kahlil al-Hayya, is already in the Qatari capital.
The renewed discussions are anticipated to concentrate on the conditions for a possible ceasefire agreement, specifically regarding the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is also advocating for increased humanitarian assistance for Gaza and guarantees for a durable cessation of hostilities.
The negotiations occur amidst reports from hospital officials in Gaza stating that 38 Palestinians have died due to Israeli airstrikes throughout the region.
Approximately 20 individuals were killed and 25 injured after Israeli strikes targeted two homes in Gaza City, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa Hospital serving the area.
In southern Gaza, 18 Palestinians died due to strikes in Muwasi, where many displaced individuals are living in tents, as reported by officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis.
Five of the deceased belonged to the same family, according to hospital reports.
Smoke rising over Gaza following an Israeli airstrike
Read more:
A controversial aid group in Gaza vows to continue its operations despite the mass killings of Palestinians.
Proposal includes a 60-day truce – sources
Hamas has yet to publicly disclose its responses to the US-backed proposal, relayed by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
Two Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations indicated that the proposal encompassed a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release ten living hostages and several deceased individuals in return for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
However, they noted, the group is also demanding specific conditions regarding Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resurgence of hostilities during negotiations, and the reinstatement of the UN-led aid distribution framework.
Following the Hamas attack that initiated a large-scale Israeli offensive aimed at dismantling the organization, mediators have facilitated two temporary ceasefires during which hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military states are deceased.
The Egyptian foreign ministry reported that top diplomat Badr Abdelatty had a phone conversation with Washington’s leading representative in the truce negotiations, Steve Witkoff, to deliberate “preparations for indirect meetings between the concerned parties to reach an agreement.”
However, recent attempts to broker a new ceasefire have consistently faltered, primarily due to Israel’s refusal to accept Hamas’s demands for a lasting truce.
The ongoing war has led to dire humanitarian conditions affecting the more than two million residents of Gaza.
Injured Palestinians are brought to hospitals following an Israeli strike in Gaza City
Palestinian armed group in Gaza acknowledges coordination with Israel
The leader of a Palestinian armed faction opposed to Hamas and accused of siphoning aid in Gaza has confirmed in an interview with public radio that it has been coordinating with the Israeli military.
Yasser Abu Shabab stated that his group, known as the Popular Forces, can operate freely in areas under Israeli control and communicates its actions in advance.
“We keep them informed, but we conduct military operations independently,” he mentioned in an interview with Makan, Israel’s Arabic-language public radio broadcaster.
Mr. Shabab also mentioned that his organization has received “logistical and financial backing from several parties,” without directly referencing Israel.
“There are matters we cannot discuss publicly,” he added.
Last month, Israeli authorities acknowledged providing support to armed Palestinian groups opposing Hamas in Gaza, though they did not specify which groups, while local media identified the group in question as Abu Shabab’s.
The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank described Abu Shabab as the head of a criminal organization in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, suspected of pilfering aid trucks.
Abu Shabab did not address the allegations during his radio interview, insisting that his militia’s sole objective is to defeat Hamas and offer an alternative governance model for the Gaza Strip.
People in Gaza exist within a ‘cycle of trauma,’ remarks a student.
