Israel “virtually accepted” a proposed six-week truce in Gaza, there is “a framework of agreement” that Israel has “more or less accepted”. A second phase of the agreement “to build something more lasting” could be agreed during the truce. A senior Biden administration official told journalists, according to CNN.
The point to be resolved, the senior official explained, is that no agreement with Hamas on a “defined category of hostages”. “This category of vulnerable hostages” is at the heart of the agreement. The United States, he continued, has had several meetings in Israel and one in Paris in recent weeks.
New negotiations in Cairo
New negotiations on the truce in Gaza and the release of the hostages are expected in Cairo, two well-informed sources told CNN, without specifying the dates. The talks will be at expert levels, with the participation of the United States, Israel, Egypt and Hamas. It is not clear whether Qatar will also be there. Discussions between Israel and Hamas will be conducted indirectly, with representatives of the two sides in separate rooms.
Gantz in Washington but without Netanyahu approval
Meanwhile, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz flies to Washington against the approval of Benjamin Netanyahu, reports a source close to Netanyahu, cited by Haaretz. “The prime minister made it clear to Gantz last night that he does not approve of his trip to Washington. Any trip abroad by a minister, whether not private but in his official capacity, requires the approval of the prime minister,” he said. the source reported.
But Gantz decided to proceed anyway. In Washington, his office announced, he will see Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Then he will continue to London, where other “high level” meetings are planned. A former chief of staff and former defense minister, Gantz was the leader of the opposition to Netanyahu. He joined the war cabinet after the outbreak of conflict in Gaza.
Yesterday thousands took to the streets in Jerusalem for the hostages
Thousands of people demonstrated in Jerusalem to demand the release of the hostages. The crowd gathered in Paris Square, near the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many of the participants arrived in Jerusalem with the unity march, which started on Wednesday from Re'im, the site of the Supernova music festival, scene of one of the bloodiest episodes of the Hamas attack on October 7.
Among the speakers on stage were the mothers of Avinatan Or and Romi Gonen, a boy and a girl kidnapped at the Supernova rave. Appearing together they wanted to underline the unity in asking for the release of their children, despite coming from very different backgrounds from a political and religious point of view, reports Times of Israel.
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