The agreement for the release of dozens of Israeli hostages appears to be getting closer as Hamas denounced an Israeli attack on an Indonesian hospital in the north of the Strip which reportedly caused several victims. And UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that in Gaza “we are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict” since he began his mandate. American President Joe Biden reopened a window for the exchange of prisoners who, on his 81st birthday, reiterated his belief that an agreement for the release of those kidnapped in the hands of Hamas is close. The agreement, which however still has many outstanding points, according to some rumors provides for the exchange of some of the Israeli hostages – in particular women and children – with Palestinians detained in the prisons of the Jewish state. The release would take place in various phases and would affect around 75 people. All this would be associated with a humanitarian ceasefire of between 3 and 5 days. A diplomatic source quoted by Times of Israel he explained that Hamas is calling for the release of 100 men and women detainees and a 5-day truce in which the army will not have to use drones to keep the Islamic faction’s movements under control. But there are quite a few issues. In the evening, Hamas itself made it known that there is still nothing definitive, accusing Benyamin Netanyahu of postponing the agreement every time it gets closer, while Israel doubts that the Islamic faction knows for sure where they are (and in what conditions are) all the hostages.
Gaza, premature babies evacuated and taken to Egypt: images of the transfer
The prime minister also has no intention of freeing prisoners linked to Hamas, as well as having to deal with internal problems: the families of the hostages – who met the war cabinet led by Netanyahu in Tel Aviv this evening – have strongly reiterated their desire “a written commitment from the government” to bring back “all abductees”, thus excluding the possibility of a partial release. But despite everything, as reported by Kan TV, the general feeling is that of cautious optimism that the agreement can materialize soon. Also thanks to the fact that Egypt is pressuring the political leader of Hamas in Gaza Yahya Sinwar for the release of at least the kidnapped children (today, among other things, on the occasion of World Children’s Day, families who have children in the hands of militiamen protested forcefully under the UNICEF headquarters in Tel Aviv, accusing the UN organization of “abandoning” Israeli minors).
On the ground, the attack on the Indonesian hospital in the north reported by Hamas caused 12 deaths. “The army is besieging the hospital and we fear – said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health of the Islamic faction Ashraf al-Qidreh – that the same thing that happened at Shifa” in Gaza City will happen there. Moreover, it was from Shifa – along a humanitarian corridor – that the premature newborns were evacuated, some of whom had already arrived in Cairo, while others stopped in the Egyptian town of Al-Arish. Of the 31 who were originally supposed to leave, according to the WHO, 28 have arrived. Israel (which has so far lost 66 soldiers since the start of the ground operation) is meanwhile strengthening its positions in the north of the Strip and in Gaza City, where the palace of justice was also occupied.
In the south of the city, in the Zaitun neighborhood, the military – who have captured 300 militiamen since the beginning of the conflict – announced that they had found a rocket factory under a mosque. If Gaza – from where rockets continue to rain down, including on Tel Aviv – remains the main front, the border with Lebanon is now an open war zone with heavy launches by Hezbollah and the equally robust Israeli response which, according to Lebanese media , hit and heavily damaged the church of St. George in Yarun, a few kilometers from the demarcation line. In the Strip the deaths have now reached 13,300, according to the toll provided by the local authorities: the only good news of the day is that the first field hospital with Jordanian doctors and healthcare personnel has entered through the Rafah crossing.
To know more
– Assaf Gavron: “I criticize Israel too, it’s legitimate. But our pain cannot be obscured.”
– Israel, the revolt of the mothers of Hamas hostages: “Save our children”
– Rome, the story of Hadar: “We Jews are threatened at the university”
Tajani: ready to do our part in the Gaza Strip
If it will be useful while waiting to be able to create a Palestinian state
«Italy is the protagonist of the attempts to build peace with the objective of two peoples and two states which must never be renounced. We are in contact with Arab countries and Israel” and “we are ready to do our part also in the Gaza Strip if needed in the hope, once the war is over, of being able to create a Palestinian state”. This was stated by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani live on the XXI Century broadcast on Rai 1.
Tajani, negotiations on hostages not easy due to Hamas requests
«There is an ongoing negotiation with both American and Qatari intermediation. It’s not easy because there are many requests from Hamas and Israel wants to know how many are alive and there is also pressure from Israeli public opinion. So it won’t be easy to reach an agreement, but we all hope that we can truly achieve the liberation of these innocent victims of Hamas terrorism.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this when interviewed on RaiUno on ‘XXI century’.
Netanyahu: hostage release sacred mission, we will not stop
«The return of hostages is a sacred mission. We are deeply committed to this and are working on it every day. We will not stop until we complete our mission. We are all committed to this. Together with my colleagues, I am responsible for the release of the hostages.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this after meeting some of the relatives of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. The meeting in Tel Aviv between members of the Israeli war cabinet and relatives of hostages held by Hamas ended a few minutes ago.
#IsraelHamas #war #raid #hospital #Gaza #close #agreement #hostages #Unprecedented #civilian #massacres #Premature #babies #evacuated