2023-12-02 19:14:19
The hope of reaching a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is dissipating as the Israeli Army intensifies its offensive on the Gaza Strip. Early this morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his negotiators in Qatar to abandon talks seeking a new solution to resume the initial seven-day truce that allowed the release of more than a hundred Israeli hostages. in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
The prime minister’s office described talks in Doha with the Palestinian Islamist organization as a “dead end.” The parties did not define the terms to close a new prisoner exchange, despite the strenuous diplomatic efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Publicly, however, Israel and Hamas accused each other on Friday of having violated the terms of the ceasefire.
“Due to the stalemate in the negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of Mossad, David Barnea, ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return to Israel,” states the note from the head of Government’s office, each increasingly pressured internally to rescue the hostages alive.
Hamas had begun exploring the possibility of releasing more Palestinians serving sentences in Israeli prisons, including high-profile detainees, according to local media. Of the total of 240 Palestinians released to date, the majority had barely been sentenced. But the Israeli authorities made it a precondition that all women and children held in Gaza be released.
“The terrorist organization Hamas did not fulfill its part of the agreement, which included the release of all children and women, based on a list delivered to Hamas and approved,” added the note from Netanyahu’s office. According to Israeli authorities, Hamas still holds 132 living hostages captive, including two children, brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas, aged 4 years and 10 months respectively, who were kidnapped along with their mother Shiri Silverman Bibas – of Argentine origin. and his father Yarden Bibas.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said last night that Hamas had not fulfilled its commitment to free the mother and two children of the Bibas family. But Hamas alleges that those three people were killed by Israeli bombings and that he offered to hand over their bodies, something Israel did not accept.
New phase of the war
Israel is already preparing a new phase of the war if the ceasefire is not reissued. The Israeli air force announced it had carried out a “wide-ranging strike” against Hamas militants overnight Friday in Khan Younis, a town in southern Gaza packed with internally displaced people who fled previous weeks of Israeli bombing.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported in a statement issued on Saturday afternoon the death of 193 people in the bombings. At least 15,000 Gazans have died as a result of Israeli attacks since October 7 in retaliation for the Hamas attack in which nearly 1,200 Israelis died.
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