Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape. Netanyahu is in Washington, where he was to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of part of a crowded area in the Gaza Strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, while the Health Ministry in Gaza says over 39,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the nine-month war.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States are pushing Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would stop the fighting and free the remaining hostages. Netanyahu’s office has said a negotiating team will be sent to continue talks Thursday.
Here’s the latest:
Palestinian factions sign a declaration in the latest attempt to clear the way for a unity government as the war in Gaza rages on
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing on ending a yearslong rift, Chinese state state broadcaster CCTV said Tuesday, taking a step toward potentially resolving the deep divide between the sides as the war in Gaza rages on.
The declaration by the two heavyweights of Palestinian politics — and other smaller Palestinian groups — to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories is the result of the latest in a series of talks meant to unite the sides.
But previous declarations have failed, including a similar deal in 2011, casting doubt over whether the China-sponsored negotiations might actually lead to a resolution. It also comes as Israel and Hamas are weighing an internationally backed cease-fire proposal that would wind down the nine-month war and free dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Still, the future of Gaza is undecided, with Israel vehemently opposed to any role by Hamas in governing Gaza. It has also rejected calls from the United States for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to run Gaza after the war ends. The lack of a postwar vision for running the Gaza Strip has complicated negotiations over a cease-fire.
Since the current war broke out in Gaza almost 10 months ago, Hamas officials have said that the party does not want to return to ruling Gaza as it did before the conflict, and the group has called for formation of a government of technocrats to be agreed upon by the various Palestinian factions, which would prepare the way for elections for both Gaza and the West Bank, with the intention of forming a unified government.
Conditions for a cease-fire deal that would release hostages from captivity in Gaza are ‘ripening,’ Israel’s Netanyahu says
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape.
In a meeting late Monday in Washington with families of hostages, Netanyahu said the conditions to bring the captives back were “ripening,” according to a statement from his office. He said that was happening because of the fierce military pressure Israel was putting on Hamas.
He gave no further details on the deal’s progress.
For weeks, Israel and Hamas have been weighing a United States-backed cease-fire deal that would bring a halt to the nine-month war and free the roughly 120 hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack. About a third of the hostages are said to be dead, and Israel’s military announced Monday that two more died in captivity.
Netanyahu faces intense pressure from a broad swath of Israelis to agree to the deal. He has vowed to defeat Hamas before stopping the war, a term that has been a main sticking point throughout the negotiations.
The families of hostages had demanded that Netanyahu nail down a deal before flying to Washington, where he will address Congress and is expected to meet President Joe Biden.
Bill labeling UN Palestinian aid agency as a ‘terror group’ moves forward in Israel’s parliament
JERUSALEM, Israel — An Israeli parliamentary bill that seeks to label the main provider of aid for Palestinians in Gaza a terrorist group is moving ahead.
Legislators voted 50-10 in favor of the bill in a preliminary vote in Israel’s parliament Monday. The bill requires two more votes before becoming law.
The bill is the product of increasingly tense relations between Israel and the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. Israel has accused the agency of militant links, claiming that hundreds of its employees are members of militant groups, including some who allegedly participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel. Those accusations led to a global cascade of funding cuts to the agency.
UNRWA employs thousands of workers and provides vital aid and services to millions of people across the Middle East. In Gaza, it has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the Israel-Hamas war.
The bill moving through parliament would brand the agency as a “terror group,” saying that the employees’ alleged involvement in the Hamas assault shows that “it is a terror organization that is no different from the Hamas terror organization.” The bill also seeks to cut diplomatic ties between Israel and the agency.
Juliette Touma, director of communications for UNRWA, said she wasn’t entirely sure how the bill, if made law, would affect the agency, but said it would likely complicate its work. She said UNRWA is in contact with Israeli authorities on a daily basis, something the law would limit.
The European Union, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have all previously expressed concern about the bill, saying it would hobble the agency’s work.