Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. officials are signaling progress in negotiations over a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan saying the outlines of an agreement have been fleshed out.
Speaking on CNN on Sunday state of union, Sullivan said. Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris last week and said the four countries had “agreed on what the basic outlines of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would be.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was more cautious in his interview. face the country CBS said it was unclear whether a new ceasefire deal could be reached with Hamas that would release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
He added that Hamas “must reach a reasonable situation,” but gave no details on where the disagreements lie.
An Egyptian official close to the talks who spoke to NPR confirmed that Israel will participate in the next round of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, to continue discussions surrounding the six-week ceasefire.
If an agreement is reached, it would be the second truce since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage, Israeli officials said. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's military response has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians.
Rafa's Fate
On Saturday post Netanyahu said via
Rafah, located on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, is where more than a million Palestinian refugees have taken refuge for several weeks.
“Only a combination of military pressure and firm negotiations will lead to the release of hostages, elimination of Hamas, and achievement of the war goals,” Netanyahu wrote.
He told CBS that a military operation in Rafah was inevitable and aimed at eliminating Hamas forces still remaining there.
Regarding the military action in Rafah, the Prime Minister said, “If there is a negotiation, it may be a little late, but it will be accomplished. Even if there is no negotiation, we will do it anyway.”
According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, Israel's War Cabinet reviewed military operations and civilian evacuation plans in areas where fighting is taking place, including Rafah.
Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu's war cabinet, said last week that if Hamas did not release the hostages it had kidnapped in Israel by March 10, the start of Ramadan, “the fighting will continue everywhere, including in Rafah.” area.”
Rafah has been hit by several Israeli airstrikes over the past two weeks, one of which hit a family's home in al-Shaburah near Rafah, killing seven people and wounding 18 others. NPR producer Anas Baba watched surviving family members search the wreckage. Neighbors helped exhume and transport the remains of those killed, so they had all the necessities they could get.
Rafah residents are experiencing severe food, water and medicine shortages. Many people are living in makeshift tents, and U.N. humanitarian groups say providing and distributing enough aid to Gaza is problematic.
According to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestine, 500 truckloads of aid are needed to meet basic needs. This is less than half of the amount received since October 7th. The largest amount received so far is 300 trucks., According to UN figures. Also last week, the World Food Program (WFP) said it was suspending aid distribution to the northern Gaza Strip due to security concerns.
UNICEF, a U.N. agency that advocates for child protection, said one in six children under the age of two in Gaza suffer from “acute malnutrition.”
Palestinian government offers resignation
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his government's resignation on Monday. The move is intended to pave the way for a new technocratic government overseeing the West Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority, which has ruled parts of the West Bank since the 1990s, has had no control over the Gaza Strip since Hamas defeated rival Palestinian faction Fatah for control of the Strip in 2007.
But the Palestinian Authority, ruled by the secular Fatah party, and its leader Mahmoud Abbas are unpopular among Palestinians. They consider them full of corruption.
Even if Abbas accepts the resignation of Shtayyeh's government, the question of creating a new government that brings together the various factions will be complicated. But forming a new technical government to run a Gaza Strip not controlled by Hamas is what the United States and Israel want.
protests in israel
Pressure is mounting on Netanyahu and his government to rescue the hostages. There have been steady anti-government protests in Israel since the war began, with protesters including relatives of hostages. But on Saturday night, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv.
Police clashed with protesters and deployed water cannons and police on horseback to disperse the crowd. At least 18 people were arrested, according to the Associated Press. Protests were also held in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu on Friday announced a “post-Hamas plan” that would see Israeli troops stationed in Gaza indefinitely and create a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip along the fence that separates the country from Israel.