The United States Government warned yesterday that an agreement between Israel and Hamas is close to being finalized to pause the bombings in Gaza and achieve the release of the hostages held by the Islamist group.
Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer told the American channel NBC that they are “closer” than ever to closing a pact, and although he did not want to specify the number of those released, he noted that there would be “much more than 12.”
“What I can say at this moment is that some of the areas pending agreement, very complicated and very sensitive negotiations, have been reduced,” Finer said on NBC’s Meet the Press program.
Furthermore, he refused to provide all the details of the negotiations and did not indicate how the bombing pause would work, although he stressed that it would last for “several days” and that it is a key step to finalize the agreement. In addition, he pointed out that one of the priorities will be to guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid.
(Also read: The vice president of Israel’s parliament asks to ‘burn Gaza’ and not send fuel).
The possibility of this pact being carried out has been a reason for hope for the world, since since the war began – last October 7 – the fighting has not stopped.
In fact, Gaza authorities estimate that due to the thousands of people found under the rubble, the death toll from the bombings carried out by Israeli forces exceeds 16,000.
For its part, the Israeli army reported yesterday that Hamas held some of the hostages it kidnapped in the Al Shifa hospital, and published images supposedly taken on October 7 that show militants carrying two of the captured civilians, a Nepalese and a thai
Israel has justified its siege and attacks on several hospitals and even ambulances in the Gaza Strip, arguing that Hamas uses these infrastructures for military purposes.
(Continue with: Hamas denies using hospitals as captivity centers and announces the death of another hostage).
Israeli troops have said Hamas built underground infrastructure in the area of Al Shifa hospital, the most important medical center in the Palestinian enclave, to set up its headquarters.
Meanwhile, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, yesterday denounced the “horrendous” incidents against civilians in Gaza during the last two days, which included attacks on schools and the intense siege of Al Shifa hospital, and called for an end to these continued violations of international law.
EDITORIAL TIME
With information from EFE and AFP
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