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Cairo (AP) – Hamas radical group said on Saturday it had accepted a proposal for a ceasefire from mediators and Qatar in Singapore, but Israel said it had “fully coordinated” with a third mediator (the United States).
Earlier this week, Egypt made a proposal to bring the beleaguered ceasefire back on track after Israel’s surprising combat recovery. It is unclear whether the proposal comes before Gaza Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayyah announced it has been accepted.
Earlier this week, an Egyptian official described the proposal to the Associated Press, saying Hamas would release five living hostages from Canada’s Gaza, including the United States and Israel, in exchange for Israeli aid and paused for a week in the fight. Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Officials spoke on anonymous because they did not have the right to introduce closed talks to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday provided no details about Israel’s counter-claims, which Netanyahu provided after consulting on Friday.
A week and a half ago, Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas after a surprise strike caused by hundreds of people through the attack. The White House accused Hamas of fighting again.
Israel vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returned to the 59 hostages it still held – 24 of them were believed to be alive. Israel also wants Hamas to give up power, disarm and exile his leaders. Israel expanded its ground operations on Saturday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, near its border with Egypt.
Hamas said it would only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and Israel’s evacuation from Gaza.
Frustrated by threats to the remaining hostages in Gaza, family and others gathered again on Saturday night to demand a deal to bring everyone home.
“The price of war is the life of the hostage!” some protesters shouted in Tel Aviv. A small melee broke out with the police.
Naama Weinberg, cousin of the late hostage Itay Svirsky, told Tel Aviv’s family to gather weekly.
Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 triggered a war in Gaza, where Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 people.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel’s retaliatory offensive killed more than 50,000 people, not to say how many civilians or combatants were. Israel’s bombing and ground operations have caused great damage and are highly displaced, with approximately 90% of Gaza’s population exceeding 2 million.
Earlier this month, Israel cut off all supplies from Gaza again, demanding that Hamas accept new terms to a ceasefire that began in mid-January.
Israel was shocked by negotiations on the second phase of the truce, which will begin in early February. Under the agreement, the purpose of the second phase is to release the remaining 24 living hostages, the end of the war and the complete evacuation of Israel from Gaza.
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Frankel reports from Jerusalem.
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Follow AP’s war reports, the URL is https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Samy Magdy and Julia Frankel, AP
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