The Washington Post reported, citing informed sources, that Israel, the United States, and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) have reached a preliminary agreement for the release of dozens of women and children detained in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a temporary ceasefire lasting five days. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American officials stated that no agreement has been finalized yet. The newspaper mentioned yesterday that, according to sources familiar with the detailed six-page agreement, the release of the hostages could begin within a few days if there are no last-minute obstacles.
The report comes at a time when Israel seems prepared to expand its assault on Hamas fighters to include southern Gaza after airstrikes resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, including civilians who reportedly took shelter in two schools. The newspaper stated that under the agreement, all parties would freeze combat operations for at least five days while releasing 50 or more hostages in groups every 24 hours. It added that the temporary ceasefire is also aimed at allowing a significant influx of humanitarian aid, noting that the outlines of the agreement were established during weeks of talks in Qatar.
However, Netanyahu stated at a press conference yesterday evening, "Regarding the hostages, there are many baseless rumors and many incorrect reports. I would like to clarify that so far, there is no agreement. But I promise that when there is something to say, we will say it." A spokesperson for the White House confirmed that Israel and Hamas have not yet reached an agreement on a temporary ceasefire, adding that the United States continues to work towards reaching a deal. A second American official confirmed that no agreement has yet been reached.
"Death Zone"
Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas after the attack on October 7. As the war enters its seventh week, authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip announced that the death toll has risen to 12,300, including 5,000 children. After dropping leaflets last week, Israel issued a new warning to civilians in areas of southern Gaza yesterday, ordering them to move elsewhere as it prepares for an assault on this part of the small coastal enclave after controlling the north.
Israel has primarily focused on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during the ground assault in northern Gaza, raising international concerns. A team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that visited Al-Shifa Hospital yesterday described the medical complex as a "death zone" with signs of gunfire and bombing and the presence of a mass grave at its entrance. The WHO stated that it is working on immediate evacuation plans for remaining patients, staff, and their families. The organization noted that 25 medical staff members and 291 patients, including 32 infants in critical condition, are still at Al-Shifa Hospital.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), stated on X, the social media platform, that Israel bombed two schools operated by the agency in northern Gaza. He added that more than 4,000 civilians were sheltering in one of them. He continued: "Reports indicate that dozens have been killed, including children. For the second time in less than 24 hours, the schools have not been spared from bombing. Enough, these atrocities must stop." A Hamas spokesperson in Gaza stated that 200 were killed or injured in the school. The Israeli army did not comment.
Witnesses reported that intense fighting occurred overnight between Israeli ground forces and Hamas militants in the Jabalia refugee camp, the largest refugee camp in the sector with nearly 100,000 residents. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated yesterday that "hundreds of those forcibly displaced from their homes have been killed" in Al-Fakhoura and Tal al-Zaatar schools in Gaza. Abbas called on U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday to intervene to stop the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian health officials reported that 31 were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Al-Bureij and Al-Nuseirat camps in central Gaza, including two Palestinian journalists. They added that a woman and her child were killed in a strike overnight in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Airstrikes
Biden opposes a ceasefire, but seeks an end to the conflict. He stated in an opinion piece published by the Washington Post that the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern Gaza and the West Bank. In response to Biden's proposal, Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv that the Palestinian Authority in its current form is not capable of assuming responsibility for the Gaza Strip. Israel has not revealed its strategy regarding Gaza after the war.
An Israeli attack in southern Gaza could force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who have already fled from the Israeli invasion of Gaza City in the north, to flee again along with residents of Khan Younis, a city home to over 400,000 people, which could exacerbate the already severe humanitarian crisis. The conflict has so far led to the displacement of about two-thirds of the Strip's population, which numbers around 2.3 million. A senior Israeli official and two former senior officials indicated that the expected Israeli advance in southern Gaza might be more complicated and bloody than in the north, with militants embedded within the Khan Younis area.
Earlier, Palestinian health officials reported that 26 Palestinians were killed and 23 were injured in an Israeli airstrike on two apartments in a multi-story building in a crowded residential neighborhood in Khan Younis yesterday.
