According to Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, Israeli attacks during ceasefire have killed at least 377 people.
Hamas has said the ceasefire cannot move forward while Israel continues its violations of the agreement, with authorities saying the truce has been breached at least 738 times since taking effect in October.
Husam Badran, a Hamas official, called on mediators to increase pressure on Israel to fully implement its commitments.
“The next phase cannot begin as long as the [Israeli] occupation continues its violations of the agreement and evades its commitments,” Badran said.
“Hamas has asked the mediators to pressure the occupation to complete the implementation of the first phase,” he added.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, focused on the exchange of captives held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
But details of the next phase, including Gaza’s future governance, the potential deployment of an international stabilisation force, and the establishment of what has been termed a “board of peace”, remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, anger continues to rise among Palestinians and the international community as Israeli attacks persist. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli attacks since the start of the ceasefire have killed at least 377 people and wounded 987.
A United States official told media Arabic that negotiations on the next phase of the ceasefire are advancing, but key obstacles still need to be overcome.
It comes as former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair has reportedly been dropped by the “board of peace”, a panel envisioned by the US to oversee redevelopment in Gaza.
The official said the US-backed ceasefire plan, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, clearly stipulates Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.
They added that discussions are under way to form a police force drawn from the local population in Gaza.
Talks progressing, but major challenges remain
The US is also aware of the increasing demands for humanitarian access, the official said, and is working to remove barriers to aid delivery.
Meanwhile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric responded to a claim by Israeli Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir that the so-called “yellow line”, currently marking Israeli-held territory inside Gaza, constitutes a “new border”.
In northern Gaza, the Israeli army has continued building demolitions in Beit Lahiya.
“These actions constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and a deliberate undermining of the essence of the ceasefire and the provisions of its attached humanitarian protocol,” Gaza authorities said in a statement.
Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza has killed at least 70,366 Palestinians and wounded 171,064 since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.
At least of 1,139 people were killed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli statistics, and more than 200 others were seized as captives.
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