Israel and Hamas appeared to be on the verge of reaching a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday that would end 15 months of devastating fighting in the Gaza Strip, even as the Israeli army continued to launch airstrikes on the enclave and the families of those Israeli hostages were pleading for their safe return. .
American, Egyptian and Qatari delegations have been working for 15 months to secure a truce to end the fighting, and officials familiar with the talks taking place in Doha, the Qatari capital, said a truce deal was close. be completed.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said a majority within Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government would support the “gradual agreement” being negotiated.
Hours earlier, a senior Israeli official detailed current plans, which involve a 42-day first phase in which 33 hostages, most of whom are believed to be alive, would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. This would be followed by a “more complicated” second phase, Sa’ar said.
He added that the Israel Defense Forces would also withdraw from central Gaza towards the Israeli border, but not before the hostages are freed.
Fighting began in Gaza on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a terrorist attack against Israel that killed 1,200 people. At that time, Israel launched an air and ground attack on Gaza, killing more than 46,000 people, according to local officials.
President Joe Biden said this week that a deal to end the war was “close” to completion. Washington is seeking to secure the deal before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday.
However, until that happens, the violence continues. At least 17 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday night, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Another Israeli attack on Jenin in the occupied West Bank killed at least six people, the ministry said.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had “striked more than 50 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure, anti-tank firing positions and Hamas military structures.”
Along with Palestinians desperate for these bombings to end, Israelis have been pleading for months for their government to bring home their relatives who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. They have often been deeply critical of Netanyahu, whom they accuse of prioritizing the war and keeping his divided right-wing coalition government together for the safety of their loved ones.
As they have throughout this conflict, thousands of people gathered Tuesday night in the Tel Aviv square that in recent months has become known as “Hostage Square.” Among them was Moran Stela Yanai, who spent 54 days in captivity after being kidnapped at the Supernova music festival on October 7.
“I appeal to you, the international community, with a simple but urgent plea: help us bring the hostages home,” he said, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about humanity and the shared belief that no one should be left behind in the darkness,” he added. “These are children, parents, brothers and sisters: people with dreams, hopes and loved ones longing for their return.”
