Hamas rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal as Palestinian health authorities said at least 47 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday.
The Israeli proposal called for a six-week truce, during which Hamas would release about 10 living hostages held in Gaza, along with the bodies of 16 others, in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Hamas described the Israeli position as “unrealistic” and is essentially adhering to the position it has held since the start of the war: the release of all of the hostages in return for an end to the war, with international guarantees.
On Thursday the leader of Hamas’ negotiating team and the leader of the organisation in Gaza, Dr Khalil al-Hayya, said Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations on the “comprehensive package”, which would include the release of all the hostages.
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He stressed that Hamas will not give up its weapons. “This is a natural right of our people,” he said.
Israeli officials said contacts will continue and relatives of the hostages were told that a deal may take a few more months.
After Hamas rejected the proposal, Israeli far-right minister for finance Bezalel Smotrich called for a full military escalation in Gaza, urging prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to “open the gates of hell”. “Israel will not surrender to Hamas and will not end the war without total victory,” he said in a statement.
Representatives of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement demanding that decision makers reach a deal that will return all 59 hostages, living and deceased, in a single release.
Ruby Chen, the father of hostage soldier Itai Chen, demanded a political commitment from Israel’s leaders to pursue a deal for the return of all hostages, even if it meant ending the war.
“Now is the time to ensure everyone is returned immediately because their return is our collective hope. We are not here today to say how, but to say what. The goal must be the return of everyone,” he said.
According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza ministry for health, since the end of the ceasefire on March 18th, more than 1,690 people have been killed in Gaza.
It said those killed include 595 children, 308 women and 105 elderly people. More than 51,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, when, according to Israeli tallies, 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Leading aid groups claim that the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is “facing total collapse” due to the Israeli blockade introduced on March 1st. Israel says the blockade is an effort to pressure Hamas to release the 59 hostages still in captivity, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.
Minister for defence Yisrael Katz said this week that Israel has no intention of allowing humanitarian aid deliveries at this juncture. However, he confirmed that Israel is drawing up plans to distribute humanitarian aid directly without Hamas involvement, creating infrastructure for distribution through civilian companies in the future. Israel believes this initiative will undermine Hamas.
US strikes on Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel terminal on the Red Sea coast killed at least 74 people in the deadliest attack since the US started its bombing campaign against the Houthis last year, according to the Houthi-run ministry for health.
Washington has said it will keep attacking the Iran-aligned Houthis until the group halts assaults on Red Sea shipping.
Ministry for health spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said 171 people were injured in Thursday’s strikes, according to preliminary figures, with rescue teams continuing efforts to search for victims.
The US military said the strikes aimed to cut off a source of fuel for the Houthi militant group.
Among the dead were employees of Safer Oil Company, which operates the port, and the Yemen Petroleum Company, responsible for overseeing imported fuel shipments and their distribution, Yemeni sources said. – Additional reporting: Reuters
