Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday asked his government to accept a deal for Palestinian Hamas militants to free some hostages in Gaza in exchange for a multi-day truce even as the death of a hostage in captivity was announced.
Quick Read
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Proposes Deal: Netanyahu asked his government to approve a deal with Hamas for releasing hostages in Gaza in exchange for a truce.
- Mediation Efforts: Qatar, the U.S., Israel, and Hamas have been in talks, with Qatar mediating, indicating an imminent deal.
- War Cabinet Meeting: Before the full government meeting, Netanyahu convened with his war cabinet and national security cabinet to discuss the deal.
- Hostage Situation: Hamas reportedly holds over 200 hostages, captured during an incursion into Israel on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths.
- U.S. President’s Role: U.S. President Joe Biden’s intervention reportedly improved the deal, offering more hostages for fewer concessions.
- Netanyahu’s Stance: Despite the deal, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s ongoing mission to destroy Hamas, return all hostages, and secure Israel from Gaza threats.
- Proposed Truce: The deal could lead to the first truce in a war that has devastated Gaza, killing thousands and displacing a significant portion of the population.
- Specifics of the Deal: The deal might involve the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages, mostly women and children, for 150 Palestinian prisoners and a 4-5 day fighting pause.
- Humanitarian Aid: The truce would allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- Qatar’s Involvement: Qatar delivered the proposal to Israel and awaits the Israeli government’s decision.
- Hostage Releases: Hamas has released four hostages so far, citing humanitarian reasons.
- Death of an Israeli Hostage: Islamic Jihad, participating with Hamas, announced the death of an Israeli hostage due to delays in negotiations.
- Continued Conflict: Despite the focus on the deal, fighting continues, including significant Israeli military actions in Gaza.
- Casualties and Damage: Reports indicate continued casualties and destruction on both sides, with specific incidents in Jabalia and Khan Younis.
Reuters has the story:
Israeli Govt meets to decide on deal for Hamas to free some hostages
Newslooks- GAZA/JERUSALEM, (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday asked his government to accept a deal for Palestinian Hamas militants to free some hostages in Gaza in exchange for a multi-day truce even as the death of a hostage in captivity was announced.
Officials from Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations, as well as the U.S., Israel and Hamas have for days been saying a deal was imminent.
Before gathering with his full government, Netanyahu met on Tuesday with his war cabinet and wider national security cabinet over the deal. Hamas is believed to be holding more than 200 hostages, taken when its fighters surged into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
The Israeli prime minister said the intervention of U.S. President Joe Biden had helped to improve the deal so that it included more hostages for fewer concessions.
But Netanyahu said Israel’s broader mission had not changed.
“We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that nobody in Gaza can threaten Israel,” he said in a recorded message at the start of the latest government meeting.
If agreed, the accord would see the first truce of a war in which Israeli bombardments have flattened swathes of Hamas-ruled Gaza, killed 13,300 civilians in the tiny densely populated enclave and left about two-thirds of its 2.3 million people homeless, according to authorities in Gaza.
A U.S. official briefed on the discussions said the deal would include 50 hostages taken from Israel, mostly women and children, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners and a pause in the fighting of four or five days.
The pause would facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said the proposal on a hostage release deal was delivered to Israel in the early hours of Tuesday.
“The State of Qatar is awaiting the result of the Israeli government’s vote on the proposal,” he said.
Hamas has to date released only four captives: U.S. citizens Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, on Oct. 20, citing “humanitarian reasons,” and Israeli women Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, on Oct. 23.
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which participated in the Oct. 7 raid with Hamas, announced late on Tuesday the death of one of the Israeli hostages it has held since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
“We previously expressed our willingness to release her for humanitarian reasons, but the enemy was stalling and this led to her death,” Al Quds Brigades said on its Telegram channel.
As attention focused on the hostage release deal, fighting on the ground raged on with Israel saying its forces had encircled the Jabalia refugee camp, a major urban flashpoint and Hamas militant stronghold.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said 33 people were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on part of Jabalia, a congested urban extension of Gaza City where Hamas has been battling advancing Israeli armoured forces.
In southern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said 10 people were killed and 22 injured by an Israeli air strike on an apartment in the city of Khan Younis.
