Efforts to extend truce to Gaza…and Israel is open, but on its terms

Middle East

The truce between Israel and Hamas, which has allowed the release of detainees and prisoners and the entry of emergency aid into the Gaza Strip, entered its fourth and final day on Monday, with talks to extend it underway.

In the latest developments, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that there are efforts by Qatar, Egypt, America, Europe and Spain to extend the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Gaza. Al-Maliki said the current truce could be extended for one, two or three days, but added that no one knew for how long. Al-Maliki’s statements came during a joint press conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez in Barcelona.

Egyptian sources say negotiators are working to resolve some differences regarding the duration of the truce extension and the list of Palestinian detainees who will be released.

Tel Aviv is ready to extend the truce

Before that, the Israeli government spokesperson said that the course of action for the release of prisoners is continuing, adding: “We are ready to extend the truce for an additional day in exchange for the release of 10 detainees.” He added that 184 Israelis and foreigners are still detained by Hamas, stressing that Israel will pressure Hamas to release all detainees.

He said military operations in Gaza would resume after the release of detainees, pointing out that Israeli forces killed 5 top Hamas leaders who had planned the October 7 attack.

Big “problems” with the list

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that it had received the list of Hamas detainees scheduled for release in the fourth batch, indicating that there are major problems with the list and intense negotiations to amend it. An informed source told Reuters that Qatari mediators were working with Israel and Hamas to resolve the issues and avoid delays.

Before that, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Israel had received a list of 11 names to be released in the fourth batch, while the Israel Broadcasting Authority said there was no confirmation yet that it had received the list of those who they should be released today.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the possibility of releasing ten hostages for every additional day of truce. During a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations in Gaza with all its strength after the end of the truce.

Netanyahu had confirmed, during the meeting with a group of soldiers in the Gaza Strip, that Israel seeks to achieve three objectives through the war, namely to eliminate Hamas, recover prisoners and put an end to any threat from Gaza.

The Hamas movement has announced that it will seek to extend the four-day truce with Israel if serious efforts are made to increase the number of released detainees, as stipulated in the humanitarian truce agreement.

In this context, Israeli sources confirmed that the Israeli War Council met yesterday and discussed the continuation of the hostage release process and the extension of the truce. The sources also say that Israel has agreed to extend the truce in exchange for the release of 10 detainees per day.

The number of civilian prisoners exceeds 50

In statements to Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian Information Service, indicated that the number of civilian detainees held by Hamas could exceed fifty, which constitutes an order to open the door to negotiations for extend the humanitarian truce in Gaza.

The agreement, the result of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, entered into force on Friday and provided for a four-day truce during which 50 hostages held by Hamas would be released in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners and of the entry of humanitarian aid. aid to Gaza.

Since Friday, 39 hostages have been released under the deal – as well as 24 hostages from countries outside the deal, most of whom are Thais working in Israel – and 117 Palestinian prisoners.

On Monday, Netanyahu will ask the government for a “war” budget of 30 billion shekels (7.3 billion euros) and on Sunday he called for a “victory” in Gaza during the first visit to the Strip by an Israeli prime minister since the end of the war . Israeli withdrawal from it in 2005.

The attack launched by Hamas on October 7 killed 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, most of whom died on the first day of the attack, according to Israeli authorities. During its attack, Hamas took 240 prisoners who were transported to Gaza, according to the Israeli army.

Israel responded with intense bombing of the Gaza Strip from 7 October, accompanied by extensive ground operations inside the Strip from 27 October. In this context, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila said on Monday that the number of victims of Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip has risen to 16,000 dead and 35,000 injured.

The minister added at a press conference in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish that the number of people missing in the events that occurred in the Gaza Strip has reached six thousand people, including 1,700 children. It is reported that 56,000 housing units were completely destroyed and 240,000 homes partially destroyed. He added that 60% of the infrastructure has been destroyed.

The Gaza Civil Protection estimates the number of missing at around seven thousand.

Although the truce provided a brief period of calm for Gaza residents, the humanitarian situation in the Strip remains “grave” and the needs “unprecedented”, according to estimates by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Palestinians (UNRWA).

Since Friday, according to the United Nations, 248 trucks loaded with aid have managed to enter the Strip.

According to the United Nations, more than half of the Strip’s housing stock has been damaged or destroyed by the war, while 1.7 million of a population of 2.4 million are displaced.

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