Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen have clashed all through the Gaza Strip over the weekend, as mediators picked up the tempo of talks over a attainable ceasefire to free hostages held by Hamas and produce a measure of Ramadan respite to the battered enclave.
Prospects for securing any truce seemed unsure, nevertheless, with Israel saying it was, in parallel, planning to broaden its sweep to destroy Hamas, whereas the Islamist faction stood agency on its demand for a everlasting finish to the practically five-month-old warfare.
Residents stated Israeli forces shelled a number of areas of the enclave as tanks rolled into Beit Lahiya and troopers and gunmen waged operating battles within the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City – each within the north, which had been conquered early within the offensive.
At least 86 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since Saturday, medics stated on Sunday. Israel’s army stated two troopers died in combating in south Gaza and that its forces killed or captured Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and elsewhere.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his warfare cupboard for a briefing late on Saturday by intelligence chiefs who returned from a gathering with Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators in Paris a few attainable second Gaza ceasefire.
Egyptian safety sources stated there can be extra talks this week in Doha, with mediators shuttling between Hamas and Israeli delegates, and a follow-up spherical in Cairo. There was no fast affirmation of that from Israel, Hamas or Qatar.
The first pause in combating, in November, noticed the discharge of round half of the 253 individuals Hamas seized throughout an October 7 cross-border killing spree that sparked the warfare. In that deal, Israel freed thrice the variety of Palestinians from its safety prisons and admitted extra humanitarian support to Gaza.
Israeli media, citing unnamed officers, reported there was a framework for the return of round a 3rd of the 130 remaining hostages over a six-week truce masking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There was no formal affirmation from both facet.
Palestinian officers stated Hamas was insisting on Israel calling off the offensive and withdrawing forces below any deal. Israel signalled intent to maneuver into one of many final cities the place Hamas, which is sworn to its destruction, has intact forces.
“We are working to achieve another framework for the release of our abductees, as well as the completion of the elimination of the Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu stated on Facebook, referring to the city within the far south of Gaza close to the border with Egypt.
This week, he added, the Israeli safety cupboard would approve army plans for Rafah – together with the evacuation of greater than one million displaced Palestinian civilians who’ve been sheltering there, and whose destiny worries world powers.
Almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed within the warfare, Gaza medical officers say. The Hamas raid of October 7 killed 1,200 individuals in Israel, which has additionally misplaced 241 troopers in Gaza floor combating that adopted, in accordance with official tallies.
https://thewest.com.au/news/conflict/israel-hamas-truce-efforts-pick-up-pace-c-13727931
