Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen commented today, Wednesday, on the "stalemate in negotiations between Hamas and Israel regarding the prisoner exchange deal and the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip." Cohen stated that "Hamas is delaying the prisoner exchange deal with Israel because it expects other parties to join the battles during Ramadan."
Regarding the rising tensions in southern Lebanon with Lebanese Hezbollah, Cohen said: "There are two options, either a political solution or war, and I do not know any other option," stressing the need for everyone to understand that "the war is not against Hezbollah, but against Iran."
The Israeli-Lebanese border has been experiencing near-daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon, since the onset of Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" on October 7th.
The Israeli army has continued its military operations against the Gaza Strip since October 7th, when Hamas, which controls the territory, began Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood," launching thousands of rockets from Gaza towards Israel and infiltrating Israeli settlements adjacent to the Strip, resulting in the death of about 1,200 Israelis and the capture of approximately 250 others.
The fighting was interrupted by a 7-day ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S., during which prisoners were exchanged among women and children, and agreed quantities of aid were delivered to the Gaza Strip, before military operations resumed on December 1st.
According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Israeli bombardment and ground operations in the Gaza Strip since October 7th have resulted in the deaths of approximately 31,000 people and over 72,000 injured, along with thousands of missing persons.
