Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape. Netanyahu is in Washington, where he was to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of part of a crowded area in the Gaza Strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, while the Health Ministry in Gaza says over 39,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the nine-month war.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States are pushing Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would stop the fighting and free the remaining hostages. Netanyahu’s office has said a negotiating team will be sent to continue talks Thursday.
Here’s the latest:
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing on ending a yearslong rift, Chinese state state broadcaster CCTV said Tuesday, taking a step toward potentially resolving the deep divide between the sides as the war in Gaza rages on.
The declaration by the two heavyweights of Palestinian politics — and other smaller Palestinian groups — to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories is the result of the latest in a series of talks meant to unite the sides.
But previous declarations have failed, including a similar deal in 2011, casting doubt over whether the China-sponsored negotiations might actually lead to a resolution. It also comes as Israel and Hamas are weighing an internationally backed cease-fire proposal that would wind down the nine-month war and free dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Still, the future of Gaza is undecided, with Israel vehemently opposed to any role by Hamas in governing Gaza. It has also rejected calls from the United States for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to run Gaza after the war ends. The lack of a postwar vision for running the Gaza Strip has complicated negotiations over a cease-fire.
Since the current war broke out in Gaza almost 10 months ago, Hamas officials have said that the party does not want to return to ruling Gaza as it did before the conflict, and the group has called for formation of a government of technocrats to be agreed upon by the various Palestinian factions, which would prepare the way for elections for both Gaza and the West Bank, with the intention of forming a unified government.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape.
In a meeting late Monday in Washington with families of hostages, Netanyahu said the conditions to bring the captives back were “ripening,” according to a statement from his office. He said that was happening because of the fierce military pressure Israel was putting on Hamas.
He gave no further details on the deal’s progress.
For weeks, Israel and Hamas have been weighing a United States-backed cease-fire deal that would bring a halt to the nine-month war and free the roughly 120 hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack. About a third of the hostages are said to be dead, and Israel’s military announced Monday that two more died in captivity.
Netanyahu faces intense pressure from a broad swath of Israelis to agree to the deal. He has vowed to defeat Hamas before stopping the war, a term that has been a main sticking point throughout the negotiations.
The families of hostages had demanded that Netanyahu nail down a deal before flying to Washington, where he will address Congress and is expected to meet President Joe Biden.
JERUSALEM, Israel — An Israeli parliamentary bill that seeks to label the main provider of aid for Palestinians in Gaza a terrorist group is moving ahead.
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