Israel says it dismantled Hamas headquarters in Khan Younis; the agreement for a truce in Gaza is delayed

First modification: 02/04/2024 – 23:39

4 min

The Israeli military assured this Sunday, February 4, that they managed to reach a training barracks of the Al Qadsia brigades, born in Khan Younis and led by Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Two of Israel's most coveted targets within Gaza.

“Upon entering the area, the forces identified that the complex had booby traps from Hamas terrorists, even camouflaged within the walls, which were neutralized by engineering forces,” says a statement from the Israeli Army, which also mentions the discovery of “a weapons factory” within the complex.

Although the Palestinian group does not make public its military loss figures during the conflict, they did report multiple warlike exchanges between members of its brigades and Israeli forces, especially within Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, and Khan Younis, in the South.

At the same time, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported an attack by Israeli forces on the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt and where more than 1.1 million displaced Palestinians from northern Gaza arrived. There, a daycare center was hit by a missile, killing at least two girls and leaving dozens of minors injured.

“There is no safe place in Gaza, from the wire fence to the fence (north-south borders), there is no safe place,” said Mohammed Kaloub, a relative of one of the minors who died in the bombing of the daycare center, to the Reuters agency.

Negotiation of a truce between Israel and Hamas is delayed

Meanwhile, the agreement for a truce remains unresolved. This week, meetings took place in Paris with mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to study a proposal for a truce and release of hostages, which was approved by Israel, and to which Qatar had assured that Hamas was preliminarily positive; However, the Palestinian Islamist group has not given a response.

“The movement has not yet given a response and is holding final consultations with members of our people and their national factions in a way that meets the interest of the Palestinian people in stopping aggression, reconstruction and the release of prisoners,” a Hamas source told the Al Aqsa channel, linked to the group.

“The response is expected to come soon,” added the report on the possible new agreement for a truce in the Gaza Strip, allowing the release of hostages by Palestinian prisoners.

Although the details of the draft agreement have not been published, the latest leaked information points to the release of the 136 hostages held by Hamas, some of whom may be dead, for a period of 142 days in exchange for the release of more than 100. Palestinian prisoners for each kidnapped.

However, the Islamist group demands a permanent ceasefire to end the war, something that Israel is not willing to accept because its goal is to “dismantle Hamas.”

However, the demand to stop the fire in the Palestinian enclave does not seem to convince the high command in Tel Aviv, who remain committed to their goal of “eradicating Hamas.”

In that sense, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was skeptical this Sunday about the possibility of reaching an agreement to release the 136 hostages detained by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for a permanent ceasefire within the enclave. The president defended that Tel Aviv will not agree to an agreement “at any price.”

“Efforts to free the hostages continue at all times (…) As I also stressed in the Security Cabinet, we will not accept all agreements, nor at any price,” Netanyahu said.

With EFE and Reuters