Israel Silent on Truce Talks as Hamas Signals Progress

With Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh indicating on Tuesday that a ceasefire with Israel was approaching, there was hope that the scores of hostages abducted in the October 7 attacks may be let free.

Regarding the state of negotiations to secure the release of the approximately 240 prisoners taken during Hamas’s brutal attack, Israel did not immediately respond. Most of the detainees are ordinary citizens of Israel.

Only a few number have been let free, either by Israeli forces or by the recovery of their bodies.

Haniyeh stated, “We are close to reaching a deal on a truce,” as per an AFP statement from his office.

The Palestinian administration claims that nearly 13,300 individuals have died in the conflict, many of them were youngsters.

Sources from Islamic Jihad and Hamas who spoke to AFP under the condition of anonymity verified that their organizations have accepted the parameters of a ceasefire agreement.

A five-day truce that consists of a ground ceasefire and restrictions on Israeli air activity over southern Gaza is part of the proposed agreement.

As per the deal, no military people would be released, but between fifty and one hundred Israeli civilian and foreign hostages would.

Approximately 300 Palestinians, including women and children, would be freed from Israeli detention centers in return.

US President Joe Biden stated on Monday that he thought a deal was almost done, raising expectations for negotiations mediated by Qatar, which is home to Hamas’ political office and maintains covert diplomatic ties with Israel.

On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that its president had visited Qatar to meet with Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas.

Gazans have endured horrific Israeli shelling and an escalating ground offensive for almost six weeks; an accord might provide some relief.

Numerous airstrikes totaling in the hundreds have damaged large portions of Gaza; the region is under blockade, with little gasoline, food, or water being permitted to reach.

As per the sources from Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the agreement would permit the entry of up to 300 trucks carrying food and medical supplies into Gaza.

Israel has promised to continue its offensive, defeating Hamas and seeing to it that the hostages are freed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We will not stop fighting until we bring our hostages home,” following his meeting with the families of those kidnapped.

Tuesday saw Israel extend its operation into the northern portion of the territory, putting doctors and patients back on the front lines in Gaza.

Israel attacked the Indonesian Hospital on Monday, killing twelve people, according to officials in Gaza’s health ministry, before deploying ground forces.

According to ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, “the Israeli army is laying siege to the Indonesian Hospital,” AFP was informed.

Numerous tanks and armored vehicles were reportedly stationed around the hospital’s perimeter and were firing on the building, according to the Palestinian authorities.

Qudra went on, “We fear the same thing will happen there as it did in Al-Shifa,” referring to the main hospital in Gaza that has been under siege and thoroughly cleaned by Israeli forces.

On Monday, twenty-eight preterm infants were flown to Egypt from Al-Shifa.

The Indonesian Hospital is located on the outskirts of Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza. Israel has been heavily bombing this camp recently, and it has emerged as a new focal point for the conflict.

About 400 patients and 2,000 individuals in need of refuge were still present in the hospital, according to a health ministry official.

On Monday, about 200 patients were taken from the hospital and transported by bus to a hospital in the southern Gazan town of Khan Yunis, which is comparatively safe.

An AFP correspondent saw bloodied youngsters being rushed into the Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where they lay stunned on gurneys while violence erupted all around them.

As one man put it, “We miraculously got out,” from the Indonesian Hospital. There are still brothers there. I simply cannot,” he answered, faltering in his speech.

While maintaining that it makes every effort to prevent injury to civilians, Israel asserts that Hamas has legitimate military objectives since it utilizes medical facilities as a base of operations and to conceal militants.

But in recent weeks, there has been a growing global outcry over Israel’s handling of the conflict, with protests taking place all over the world, accusations of war crimes being made by international organizations, and the severing of diplomatic connections by certain states.

The World Health Organization stated that it was “appalled” by the strike that occurred on Monday at the Indonesian Hospital and that there have been 164 confirmed attacks on medical institutions and personnel since the start of the conflict.

The organization released a statement saying, “The world cannot stand silent while these hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair.”

Since the hospital’s opening over ten years ago, donations from Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population worldwide, have been used to pay its operations.

Retno Marsudi, Indonesia’s foreign minister, said on Monday that her country “strongly condemned the Israeli attack” on the hospital and that the ministry had been unable to get in touch with three Indonesian volunteers who were allegedly employed there.