According to the Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth," quoted from informed sources on Saturday, "the coming days are crucial concerning a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas." It added that "Hamas claimed it received slight adjustments to the terms of the Israeli proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden," noting that "there is significant pressure on the movement, and intermediaries will try to secure a positive response from its leader Yahya Sinwar in the end." The newspaper's sources mentioned "decisive days during which the United States and intermediaries will exert substantial pressure to elicit a positive response from Sinwar," but the sources clarified that "no one knows how Sinwar will respond."
According to the newspaper, "this additional attempt comes amid the progress of the Israeli army in Rafah and the expected transition to the third stage of the military operation, which is said to prevent war with Hezbollah in the north." Additionally, the site "Axios" reported from informative sources that the U.S. administration has changed its tone regarding some parts of the proposed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in an effort to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel. The site revealed that new efforts being made by Washington with Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries focus on Article Eight of the proposal, while the sources mentioned that U.S. officials have reformulated Article Eight in new language and are urging intermediaries to pressure Hamas to accept the new proposal.
The site also quoted an informed source stating that Washington is working intensively to find a formula that would allow for a ceasefire in Gaza. The source pointed out that if Hamas agrees to the new language, it would facilitate reaching an agreement for the ceasefire.
Today, the health ministry affiliated with "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip announced that the death toll from the ongoing war, which has lasted more than eight months, has risen to 37,834. The ministry stated that at least 69 people were killed in the last 48 hours, adding that 86,858 people have been injured since the beginning of the war. According to the statement: "There are still numerous victims under the rubble and in the streets that emergency and civil defense teams cannot reach."
On another note, "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported two rockets fired from Gaza near Kibbutz Karm Abu Salem in the Gaza envelope without the sounding of warning sirens. "Channel 13" in Israel announced that the army is conducting extensive attacks in northern Gaza following the rocket launches towards the envelope. The "Al-Quds Brigades" - the military wing of the "Islamic Jihad Movement" - indicated that it shelled the enemy's command center for ground incursion in the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City with 60mm mortars.
Israel continues its war on Gaza, ignoring the United Nations Security Council's decisions to cease it immediately, and the International Court of Justice's orders to end the invasion of Rafah, and to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave.
