Hamas has announced that it will not engage in negotiations concerning the release of captives until Israel ceases its war on Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his country’s willingness to establish a new temporary truce with Hamas in order to secure the release of additional captives held by the Palestinian group. During a gathering of ambassadors on Tuesday, Herzog stated, “Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages.” This comes as international pressure mounts on Israel to halt its assault on Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
In a previous agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt, a week-long truce was achieved at the end of November. As part of the agreement, Hamas released 86 women and children it had been holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli prisons. Additionally, 24 foreign nationals were released during the pause in fighting. On Monday, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, along with Mossad Director David Barnea and CIA Director Bill Burns, held discussions in Poland to explore the possibility of a new deal for the release of hostages, as well as a humanitarian pause in the conflict. A source familiar with the diplomatic efforts stated, “The talks were positive with negotiators exploring and discussing different proposals in an attempt to progress on negotiations. An agreement is not expected imminently, however.”
Hamas released a statement on Tuesday rejecting any form of negotiations regarding prisoner exchanges “under the continuing Israeli genocidal war.” The Palestinian group expressed openness to initiatives that contribute to “ending the aggression” and facilitating the opening of border crossings to bring aid and relief to the Palestinian people. Bernard Smith, a journalist reporting from Tel Aviv, noted that the statements from Herzog and Hamas indicate some progress towards a potential truce. However, the question remains whether it will be a mere pause or a full ceasefire.
The war has resulted in significant destruction in northern Gaza, displacing most of the population to the southern part of the besieged territory, where they are seeking refuge in crowded shelters and tent camps. Approximately 1.9 million Palestinians, accounting for about 90 percent of Gaza’s population, have been forced to flee their homes. According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 19,667 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza. Israel initiated the assault following a breach by Hamas fighters from the territory into southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of approximately 240 others, according to Israeli officials.
As the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to rise, Israel faces mounting international pressure to scale back its offensive. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have recently joined calls for a ceasefire, and US President Joe Biden described the bombings as “indiscriminate” last week. The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution later today, urging an end to the fighting in Gaza. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, labeled the war in Gaza a “moral failure” of the international community and called on both Israel and Hamas to reach a new truce to halt the ongoing violence. Following visits to the Gaza Strip and Israel, Spoljaric stated, “I have been speaking of moral failure because every day this continues is a day more where the international community hasn’t proven capable of ending such high levels of suffering, and this will have an impact on generations not only in Gaza.”
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