Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh heads to Cairo to discuss ceasefire plan
A senior Hamas official told Reuters the group was considering a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in the Gaza Strip presented by a mediator after talks with Israel.
The cease-fire proposal came after talks in Paris attended by Israeli, US and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister. In a sign of the seriousness of the negotiations, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he would travel to Cairo to discuss the matter, his first public visit in more than a month.
The proposal reportedly includes a three-phase ceasefire, during which the group would first release the remaining civilian hostages it captured on October 7, then free its soldiers. The last thing they were supposed to do was release the bodies of the murdered hostages.
The proposal appears to be the most serious peace effort since a brief ceasefire in late November.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from President Biden to chart a path to ending the war, as well as from relatives of the hostages who fear that negotiations are the only way to get them home. ing. But the far-right parties in his ruling coalition insist they will leave rather than support a hostage release deal that would leave Hamas intact.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his pledge not to withdraw troops from Gaza until there is a “complete victory,” a move that echoes the warring sides’ official stance on what it would take to stop the fighting, even temporarily. It reminded me that there is a huge gap.
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The ceasefire proposal followed talks in Paris involving intelligence chiefs from Israel, the United States and Egypt, with the prime minister of Qatar. In a mark of the seriousness of the negotiations, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said he was going to Cairo to discuss it, his first public trip there for more than a month.
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The proposal reportedly involved a three-stage truce, during which the group would first release remaining civilians among the hostages it captured on 7 October, then soldiers, and finally the bodies of hostages that were killed.
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The proposal appears to be the most serious peace initiative since a brief truce in late November.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from the Biden White House to chart a path towards ending the war, and domestically from relatives of hostages who worry that negotiations are the only way to bring them home. But far-right parties in his ruling coalition say they will quit rather than endorse a deal to free hostages that left Hamas intact.
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On Tuesday, Netanyahu repeated his vow not to pull troops out of Gaza until “total victory”, a reminder of the huge gap in the public stances of the warring sides over what it would take to halt combat even temporarily.
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Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
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The Hamas leadership is studying a new proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages from Gaza, in what is being considered the most serious peace initiative in months.
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As details of the truce emerge, analysts have cautioned that huge gaps remain in the public stances of the warring sides over what it would take to halt combat even temporarily.
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We’ll have more on that in a moment, first here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.
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Joe Biden has said he has decided how to respond to a drone attack on a US service base on Sunday that killed three US service personnel and injured dozens in Jordan. The US president did not elaborate on his decision but said he wasn’t looking for a wider war in the Middle East. The US could opt for a tiered response involving “multiple actions”, the White House’s national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said.
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Biden’s statement came as the Iran-backed militia that Washington blamed for the attack said it had suspended anti-US operations. Kataib Hezbollah said its the decision was intended to prevent “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government.
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Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he will not accept any ceasefire deal that requires the departure of Israeli troops from Gaza or the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu poured cold water on any deal that required Israeli soldiers to leave Gaza permanently without a clear military victory, saying the war in Gaza was not “another round” with Hamas and he would not end it without achieving Israel’s goals.
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The Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said he was willing to travel to Cairo to discuss proposals for a potential new deal. Haniyeh said the group’s aim remained to end Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and secure a full pullout of Israeli forces from the territory. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad secretary general, Ziad al-Nakhala, ruled out the group engaging in any ceasefire that does not involve the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
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Egypt, Qatar and the US are hoping to see if the two sides can be persuaded to accept a ceasefire lasting at least a month, which would offer the chance for almost all the hostages to be released. The proposal, described as a framework, was hammered out during talks in Paris. Leaks suggest the first phase of the proposed ceasefire would include the release of about 35 hostages including civilian women, older men and hostages who are ill or injured, in return for a six-week pause of the fighting. The second stage would be focused on male and female soldiers, and the third stage would see the release of the bodies of dead hostages.
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Israeli forces dressed in doctors’ scrubs and women’s clothes killed three Palestinian militants in an undercover operation in a hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The units entered Ibn Sina hospital on the outskirts of the city’s refugee camp early on Tuesday, CCTV footage of the aftermath of the operation showed. The hospital’s medical director said the three killed were “executed in cold blood”.
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The Israel Defense Forces denied reports that its forces stormed al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, or that it ordered people inside to evacuate at gunpoint. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Tuesday said Israeli forces had demanded displaced people and its teams to evacuate the building “under the threat of arms”. A later update said Israeli tanks were stationed in the front yard of the hospital as Israeli forces were firing live ammunition and smoke grenades at displaced individuals and its staff.
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The Israeli military said it had channelled seawater into Gaza’s tunnels in an effort to destroy the sprawling underground network used by Hamas militants. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement said it was “part of a range of tools deployed by the IDF to neutralise the threat of Hamas’s subterranean network of tunnels.” Israeli officials have said Hamas’s underground system has been key to its operations on the battlefield.
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A total of 26,751 Palestinians have now been killed and 65,636 wounded by Israeli military action in Gaza since 7 October, according to the latest figures from the Gaza health ministry on Tuesday. The figures include 114 Palestinians killed and 249 injured in the past 24 hours. Israel claims it has killed about 9,000 enemy combatants while losing 221 of its own forces in the ground campaign inside the territory.
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Israel has handed over to Palestinian authorities the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in recent weeks, health officials in the Palestinian territory have said. The bodies, which had been held in Israel, were handed over on Tuesday through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing and would be buried in mass graves in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, the officials said.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged donors not to suspend funding to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA after Israel accused some of its workers of taking part in Hamas’s 7 October attack. “Cutting off funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support,” the WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said at a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
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important events
Welcome and overview
Hello. Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the Middle East crisis.
Hamas leaders are considering new proposals for a ceasefire and hostage release from the Gaza Strip, in what is seen as the most serious peace initiative in months.
As details of the cease-fire agreement emerge, analysts warn that wide differences remain in the warring sides’ official stance on what it takes to stop fighting, even temporarily.
More details later. First, here’s a summary of the other major events of the day.
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Joe Biden said he has decided how to respond to Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base in Jordan that killed three US service members and injured dozens. The US president did not elaborate on his decision, but said he did not want wider wars in the Middle East. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the United States may choose a phased response that includes “multiple actions.”
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Biden’s statement came as the US government announced that the Iranian-backed militia responsible for the attack had ceased anti-American operations.. Kataib Hezbollah said the decision was aimed at preventing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not accept any ceasefire agreement. That would require the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza or the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Netanyahu poured cold water on an agreement that would force Israeli soldiers to permanently withdraw from Gaza without a clear military victory, saying the Gaza war would not be “another round” with Hamas and without achieving Israel’s goals. He said he had no intention of ending the war.
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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he was ready to visit Cairo to discuss a possible new agreement. Haniyeh said the organization’s objective remains to end Israeli military aggression in the Gaza Strip and ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area. Meanwhile, Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nahla ruled out the group’s participation in a ceasefire that does not involve the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
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Egypt, Qatar and the United States want to see if the two countries can be persuaded to accept a ceasefire lasting at least a month. That would give almost all the hostages a chance to be freed. The proposal was described as a framework and was elaborated during talks in Paris. According to leaked information, the first phase of the proposed ceasefire would include the release of about 35 hostages, including civilian women, elderly men, and sick and injured hostages, in exchange for a six-week cessation of fighting. The second phase will focus on male and female soldiers, and the third phase will involve releasing the bodies of deceased hostages.
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Israeli troops wearing doctor’s scrubs and women’s clothes kill three Palestinian militants An undercover investigation at a hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The troops entered Ibn Sina Hospital on the outskirts of the city’s refugee camp early Tuesday morning, CCTV footage from the operation showed. The hospital’s chief medical officer said the three people killed were “executed in cold blood.”
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The Israel Defense Forces denied reports that its forces attacked al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, or ordered those inside to evacuate at gunpoint. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Tuesday that the Israeli military had asked the displaced people and their teams to evacuate the building “under threat of arms.” Later updates said Israeli tanks were stationed in the hospital’s forecourt as Israeli forces fired live ammunition and smoke grenades at displaced residents and staff.
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The Israeli military says it has flooded tunnels in the Gaza Strip with seawater in a bid to destroy a vast underground network used by Hamas militants. A statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said this was “part of a series of tools deployed by the IDF to neutralize the threat of Hamas’ underground tunnel network.” Israeli officials say Hamas’s underground systems are key to its battlefield operations.
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Since October 7, Israeli military operations in Gaza have left a total of 26,751 Palestinians dead and 65,636 injured. According to the latest statistics released by the Gaza Ministry of Health on Tuesday. This figure includes 114 Palestinians killed and 249 injured in the past 24 hours. Israel claims to have killed about 9,000 enemy fighters and lost 221 of its own troops in ground operations in the territory.
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In recent weeks, Israel has handed over to the Palestinian Authority the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. This was announced by health officials in the Palestinian Authority. The bodies, which were being held in Israel, were handed over Tuesday through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing and will be buried in a mass grave in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, officials said.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) called on donors not to stop funding the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. After Israel accused some workers of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attack. “Cutting funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeyer said at a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
