Intense international mediation efforts are working toward exchanging Israel hostages for Palestinian prisoners during a proposed month-long ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reported on Tuesday, as the White House said its envoy was having active discussions on the issue. Qatar, the US and Egypt have held shuttle diplomacy since Dec. 28 and Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle to the framework plan, sources said. It is being held up by the two sides’ differences over how to bring a permanent end to the Gaza war, sources said.
The US State Department and White House, Qatar’s foreign ministry and Egypt’s State Information Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Reuters report.
On Monday, Israel suffered its worse loss of soldiers in over three months of conflict, 24 deaths in two separate incidents. Israeli officials reiterated that the objectives of its war against the Palestinian Hamas movement that runs Gaza were unchanged and that efforts were being made to bring about release of more than 100 hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “In the name of our heroes, for the sake of our lives, we will not stop fighting until absolute victory.”
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said there would be no ceasefire that left Hamas in power and hostages in Gaza, following the militant group’s cross-border rampage on Oct. 7 in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.
Palestinian health officials said at least 195 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours, raising the documented death toll from Israeli air strikes and shelling to 25,490. Thousands more are feared lost in the rubble.
“The entire population of Gaza is enduring destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council.
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said, denouncing Israel’s opposition to creation of a Palestinian state that would exist alongside Israel.
The soldiers’ deaths came on the day the Israeli military launched its biggest operation in a month, to seize remaining parts of Khan Younis, encircling Gaza’s main southern city that is sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
Israeli forces have killed more than 100 militants in western Khan Younis in the past 24 hours, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday evening. Israel says it has killed around 9,000 militants in total. Reuters is unable to verify the number.
Source: Arab News
