Report: Ceasefire in Gaza war in prospect
According to a report in the Washington Post, Israel and Hamas are close to reaching an agreement on a ceasefire. In an agreement negotiated under US mediation, the two warring parties are reportedly considering a five-day ceasefire during which dozens of Israeli hostages held by the Islamist terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip could be released.
The newspaper reported this during the night, citing people familiar with the arrangements. In response to the article, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, wrote on Platform X: "We have not yet reached an agreement, but we are continuing to work hard on it".
According to the Washington Post, the release of the hostages could begin in the next few days, provided there are no last-minute problems. The cessation of hostilities should also allow significantly more humanitarian aid, including fuel, to reach the Gaza Strip from Egypt. The draft agreement had been worked out in weeks of talks in the Qatari capital Doha between Israel, the USA and Hamas.
Following the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, which left 1,200 dead, around 240 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip - most of them kidnapped by Hamas. Israel then launched massive air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip at the end of October. According to Palestinian figures, more than 11,500 people have been killed so far. According to the UN, the supply situation is catastrophic. Israel is under international pressure for its conduct of the war.
WHO: Rescue of patients in Shifa clinic
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working at full speed on a plan to rescue the remaining patients from the Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip. WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote this on X. Staff had visited the hospital on Saturday and found a desolate situation. There was no water, no electricity, no food and hardly any medical supplies.
The team found a mass grave at the entrance to the hospital and were informed that more than 80 people were buried there, the WHO wrote in a statement on Saturday.
"Given this deplorable situation and the condition of many patients, including babies, the staff asked for assistance in evacuating terminally ill patients who can no longer be cared for there," the WHO chief said. They are working with partners and are asking for support for this plan. Tedros did not name Israel, whose military has captured the hospital, or Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. "The current situation is intolerable and unjustifiable," he wrote. "Cease fire. NOW," he added.
Today @WHO led a very high risk @UN assessment mission to Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza.
The team saw a hospital no longer able to function: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, medical supplies depleted.
Given this deplorable situation and the condition of many patients,…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 18, 2023
Biden in favor of two-state solution
US President Joe Biden has once again spoken out in favor of the so-called two-state solution in the Middle East conflict and outlined how he envisions the time after the end of the Gaza war. In an opinion piece published in the "Washington Post" on Saturday, he also brought sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank into play. The Democrat once again criticized "the extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank".
In the long speech, Biden outlined what he believes the future in the region should look like - and how the path to it should be shaped. "This much is clear: a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples," wrote Biden. "While it may seem at the moment that this future has never been further away, the crisis has made it more urgent than ever."
Abbas calls for an end to the Gaza war
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening. In a televised address, Abbas called on US President Biden to "intervene and stop this aggression immediately". He asked: "What is the US waiting for in the face of the ongoing genocide against our people in Gaza?" Abbas also called on Biden to advocate for more humanitarian aid to be brought into the blockaded coastal strip.
Demonstration in Tel Aviv
Several hundred people demonstrated against the Gaza war in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. The demonstration on the beach promenade was organized by the left-wing Chadash party, as reported by Israeli media. Jewish and Arab Israelis protested together against the continuation of the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
"An eye for an eye and we are all blind" was written on one of the signs. The TV station Kan reported that the demonstrators had called for "the worst government in the history of Israel" to be replaced.
The news website "ynet" reported that there was a counter-demonstration with several dozen participants. There were verbal and physical confrontations between the two sides. Water bottles were thrown at the demonstrators against the war. "Go to Gaza" and "Death to the Arabs" were shouted at them by participants in the counter-demonstration.
What is important today
The situation in the Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip remains tense. The WHO is likely to press ahead with its plans to rescue the remaining patients. It is also eagerly awaited whether and when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas promoted by the USA will actually come about.
The release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza could be facilitated if the ceasefire agreed upon by Israel and Hamas under US mediation is successfully implemented. President Joe Biden has voiced his support for a two-state solution in the Middle East conflict, expressing his belief that it is the only way to ensure long-term security for both Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to work towards rescuing remaining patients from the Shifa hospital in Gaza, which has been left in a desolate state, with no water, food, electricity, and scarce medical supplies. The situation remains tense, and the international community is closely monitoring both the WHO's efforts and the prospects of the ceasefire.
Source: www.dpa.com
