Talks resume on ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza
According to Netanyahu's office, Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar will travel to the talks. US intelligence chief William Burns is also expected to attend, according to US sources.
It remains unclear whether and in what form Hamas will be represented. An anonymous Hamas representative told AFP that negotiations with mediators are ongoing and have even intensified in recent hours. The Hamas wants "the Biden plan to be implemented, not just negotiations for the sake of negotiations," he said, referring to a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Joe Biden at the end of May.
Biden's multi-stage plan is the basis for the renewed talks. It initially calls for a six-week ceasefire, which could be extended for negotiations on a permanent end to the fighting. It also calls for the Israeli army to withdraw from populated areas of the Gaza Strip, and for Israeli-held hostages to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Biden had expressed the hope that Iran could refrain from attacking Israel if a ceasefire agreement is reached in the Gaza Strip.
The mediators, the US, Egypt, and Qatar, have been trying for months to achieve a renewed ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. In a first ceasefire in November, around 100 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Israel is continuing to prepare intensively for a feared attack by Iran and its allies. Among other things, the art museum in Tel Aviv said it had moved its most valuable works to safety. In Haifa, the authorities have already strengthened security measures with protective bunkers and an underground hospital department.
"Israel remains on high alert," Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on the online service X. Herzog thanked the western partners of his country for their support.
Iran and Hezbollah have threatened Israel with retaliation after the killings of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh's killing; Hamas and Iran blame the country for both attacks.
Since then, fears of escalation have been growing. The US, Israel's closest ally, has strengthened its military presence in the region and sent more warships and fighter jets. Washington also approved additional arms exports to Israel worth more than $20 billion, including 50 F-15 fighter jets and 33,000 rounds of tank ammunition, according to the US State Department.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Its units have continued their "precise, intelligence-based" operations in the Tel al-Sultan area in Rafah in the south, it said. More than 40 air strikes were carried out on "terrorist infrastructure" throughout the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
The Hamas-controlled civil defense reported at least four dead in an attack in Khan Yunis. The cities of Gaza, Beit Lahia, Deir Balah, and Rafah were also targeted.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip was sparked on October 7th by an unprecedented large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel. According to Israeli reports, 1198 people were killed and 251 people were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, Israel has since been conducting large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to reports from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified and does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, over 39,960 people have been killed.
The United States of America, along with Egypt and Qatar, have been actively mediating for a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. US intelligence chief William Burns is expected to attend the talks in this regard. The Biden administration's ceasefire proposal, which includes a withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza and a release of Israeli-held hostages, is the basis for these negotiations.
