Israel confirmed this Saturday, after agreeing with the United States and Qatar, that it will resume truce negotiations with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas next week. These talks, on pause since May 10 and without significant progress for months, seek to finalize an agreement to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, while the Gaza Strip remains under attack.
The announcement came after a meeting held on Friday in Paris, attended by CIA Director William Burns; the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, and the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. At this meeting, a new scheme for dialogue was defined, Efe published.
Until Thursday, May 23, the Israeli government had not shown interest in resuming talks with Hamas. However, that same day, relatives of five young soldiers still in captivity published a video showing the moment of their kidnapping by the Islamist group during the attack last October, which triggered the current conflict in Gaza.
The Israeli position could also have changed due to threats from Egypt to abandon its role as mediator of the conflict, after being accused of mismanaging the last round of negotiations, which resulted in its failure, as detailed. The Times of Israel.
International pressure on the Israeli government intensified after the International Court of Justice demanded an immediate end to its offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city, from which approximately one million people have fled.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated to Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz his rejection of a large-scale operation in Rafah. Furthermore, he called for increasing the supply of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The Israeli Army continues the bombing
Despite these requests, the Israeli Army continued bombing Rafah and advancing with tanks. In a note published this Saturday, the Israeli Forces reported that their soldiers carried out searches for Hamas weapons and infrastructure, and opened fire on “a terrorist cell” in the area.
Medical sources in Gaza informed the Wafa agency about the death of a civilian in another airstrike in Rafah. This Saturday, the management of the Kuwait hospital in Rafah urged the World Health Organization to supply more fuel to continue providing medical services, as it is the only medical complex still operational in that area.
The Gaza Ministry accused Israel of committing “violations” against the health system, with 155 health centers attacked in almost eight months of offensive. In addition, more than one million cases of infectious diseases were recorded, many diagnosed as hepatitis A, due to overcrowding and poor hygiene in shelters.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wafa agency reported the deaths of at least six civilians in an Israeli airstrike on the Nusseirat refugee camp. In Beit Hanoun, another Israeli bombing left ten civilians dead.
The Israeli Army indicated that hand-to-hand combat in Jabalia, north of Gaza, remains active. The number of fatalities in the Gaza Strip reached 35,903, mostly women and children, while the injured numbered 80,420 people, according to Hamas figures.
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