Despite mutual accusations of ceasefire violations, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continued for the fifth day in a row this Tuesday, with Palestinian militias releasing twelve hostages in the Gaza Strip and Israeli authorities releasing thirty Freeing Palestinian prisoners.
Ten Israeli hostages – all women – and two Thais were released on Tuesday afternoon and transferred to Israel via Egypt, following the release of 15 Palestinian women and 15 minors from Israeli prisons as part of the prisoner exchange, a key element. of the interim ceasefire that started on Friday and runs until Wednesday.
Since Friday, Hamas has released 60 Israeli hostages and Israel 180 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides are all women and children, and Palestinian militias have also released 21 foreign prisoners in the Gaza Strip, including two Thais.
As has been customary since the beginning of the implementation of this agreement, the Gaza hostages left the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Friday and then entered Israeli territory, while the Palestinians were transferred from various Israeli prisons to the Ofer and to the Jerusalem prison. camp. They were released in the West Bank or the Holy City.
All this is happening at a time when Qatar, Egypt and the United States are mediating between Hamas and Israel over a possible extension of the previously agreed ceasefire period. It should end tomorrow Wednesday.
Also this Tuesday, CIA Director William Burns, Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian Secret Service Chief Abbas Kamel met in Qatar to explore options for a permanent ceasefire. -fires, a source of safety. told EFE.
Israel spoke positively about the proposals, stressing that they included a possible extension of the ceasefire and the surrender of captured Israeli soldiers, as the current agreement only provides for the release of civilian women and children, the above-mentioned source added to.
Qatar, the main mediator between Hamas and Israel, agreed to continue looking for ways to extend the ceasefire. Shortly after Tuesday, the Israeli army and Hamas accused each other of violating the ceasefire following an incident in northern Gaza Strip that injured several Israeli soldiers, although the situation remained calm for the rest of the day.
However, Gaza residents took advantage of the cessation of fighting to largely destroy the enclave over the past 24 hours. About 160 bodies of dead Palestinians have been removed, although an estimated 6,500 people are still missing, in addition to the 15,000 confirmed dead in Israeli bombings.
According to Hamas, about 250,000 families were left homeless after Israeli attacks caused material damage to about 300,000 homes in the enclave, with 50,000 completely destroyed and another 250,000 partially destroyed.
At the same time, the Gaza government continued to warn of the serious humanitarian crisis in the enclave caused by the near-total Israeli siege, which prevented access to food, water, fuel and medical supplies. about 50 days of war that continues to cause power outages due to lack of gasoline for generators.
This shortage began to ease after 200 truckloads of humanitarian aid arrived daily since Friday, but Gaza authorities say this is not enough to meet the basic needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
On top of the ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ comes ‘the arrival of winter and rain’. Therefore, the lack of fuel for electricity will become an additional challenge as temperatures drop.
Despite a possible extension of the ceasefire, Israel insists on releasing the hostages again and will attack Gaza again with the aim of eradicating Hamas.
“The Israeli army is ready to continue fighting and we are taking advantage of the break days to learn” and “approve future operational plans,” said Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, noting that “the dismantling of Hamas will continue.” Warning that the military operation in Gaza will ‘continue’. (EFE)
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
