Sebastian Usher
Reporting fromJerusalem
Delegations from Israel and Hamas person begun an indirect circular of ceasefire talks successful Qatar, arsenic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington to conscionable Donald Trump.
Netanyahu said helium thinks his gathering with the US president connected Monday should assistance advancement efforts to scope a woody for the merchandise of much hostages and a ceasefire successful Gaza.
He said helium had fixed his negotiators wide instructions to execute a ceasefire statement nether conditions Israel has accepted.
Hamas has said it has responded to the latest ceasefire connection successful a affirmative spirit, but it seems wide determination are inactive gaps betwixt the 2 sides that request to beryllium bridged if immoderate woody is to beryllium agreed.
For now, Hamas inactive seems to beryllium holding retired for fundamentally the aforesaid conditions it has antecedently insisted connected - including a warrant of an extremity to each hostilities astatine the extremity of immoderate truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Netanyahu's authorities has rejected this before.
The Israeli presumption whitethorn besides not person shifted to immoderate large degree. As helium was leaving Israel for the US, Netanyahu said helium was inactive committed to what helium described arsenic 3 missions: "The merchandise and instrumentality of each the hostages, the surviving and the fallen; the demolition of Hamas's capabilities - to footwear it retired of there, and to guarantee that Gaza volition nary longer represent a menace to Israel."
Qatari and Egyptian mediators volition person their enactment chopped retired during the indirect talks betwixt Israel and Hamas successful trying to flooded these sticking points, which person have derailed different initiatives since the erstwhile ceasefire ended successful March.
Israel has since resumed its violative against Hamas with large intensity, arsenic good arsenic imposing an eleven-week blockade connected assistance entering Gaza, which was partially lifted respective weeks ago.
The Israeli authorities says these measures person been aimed astatine further weakening Hamas and forcing it to negociate and escaped the hostages.
Just successful the past 24 hours, the Israeli subject says it struck 130 Hamas targets and killed a fig of militants.
But the outgo successful civilian lives successful Gaza continues to turn arsenic well. Hospital officials successful Gaza said much than 30 radical were killed connected Sunday.
The question present is not lone whether the talks successful Qatar tin execute a compromise acceptable to some sides - but besides whether Trump tin transportation Netanyahu that the warfare indispensable travel to an extremity astatine their gathering connected Monday.
Many successful Israel already judge that is simply a terms worthy paying to prevention the remaining hostages.
Once again, they came retired connected to the streets connected Saturday evening, calling connected Netanyahu to scope a woody truthful the hostages tin yet beryllium freed.
But determination are hardline voices successful Netanyahu's cabinet, including the nationalist information curate Itamar Ben Gvir and the concern curate Bezalel Smotrich, who person erstwhile again expressed their fierce absorption to ending the warfare successful Gaza earlier Hamas has been wholly eliminated.
Once again, determination is the quality of existent momentum towards a ceasefire deal, but uncertainty implicit whether either the Israeli authorities oregon Hamas is acceptable to scope an statement that mightiness autumn abbreviated of the cardinal conditions they person truthful acold set.
And erstwhile again, Palestinians successful Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages inactive held determination are fervently hoping this volition not beryllium different mendacious dawn.
The Israeli subject launched a run successful Gaza successful effect to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At slightest 57,338 radical person been killed successful Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run wellness ministry.