Mideast truce talks intensify as more hostages released
International pressure is growing on Israel and Hamas to extend a truce after another exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid was delivered to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Irena Tati alongside IDF forces, upon her return to Israeli territory last evening (Wednesday, 29 November 2023).
On Wednesday, 16 more hostages were released by Hamas on the final day of a two-day truce extension, which is set to expire early on Thursday.
Israel’s prison service said it released 30 more Palestinians from its jails in a sixth round of swaps. The exchanges are a core component of the arrangement, which was initially set at four days.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv early on Thursday, his third trip to the region since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, and was set to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending the temporary truce and boosting humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Looking at the next couple of days, we’ll be focused on … doing what we can to extend the pause so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in,” Blinken said at a stop in Brussels.
Citing Israeli officials, Israeli media reported the military would resume the attack on Gaza at 7am (4pm AEDT Thursday) if the government did not receive a list of hostages to be released that met its criteria by that time. Israel, according to the reports, is demanding at least ten hostages be released and that women and children be prioritised. Jordan on Thursday will host a conference attended by the main United Nations, regional and international relief agencies to coordinate aid to Gaza, official media said.
The six-day truce has brought the first respite to Gaza in seven weeks. During that time, Israel bombarded the territory in response to a rampage by Hamas gunmen on October 7, when Israel says gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.
Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which rules Gaza. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel’s bombardment has so far killed more than 15,000 Gazans.
US President Joe Biden was determined to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza after American Liat Beinin was freed on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement.
Some 97 hostages have been freed since the start of the truce, according to a Reuters tally. The Israeli military says 145 hostages remain in Gaza.
On Wednesday night, two Russian citizens and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement while the 10 Israeli citizens freed included five dual nationals, officials said. They were a Dutch dual citizen, who is also a minor, three German dual citizens and one US dual citizen.
Qatar mediated the pause and release of hostages and prisoners, another country pushing for an extended truce.
“Qatar remains hopeful that the progress made in recent days can be sustained, and a further extension to the humanitarian pause agreement can be reached,” Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe,” and he and others called for a ceasefire to replace the temporary truce.
“Intense negotiations are taking place to prolong the truce – which we strongly welcome – but we believe we need a true humanitarian ceasefire,” he told a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“From the start of the war, I set three goals: Eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again go back to being a threat to the State of Israel. These three goals still stand. pic.twitter.com/B3QmWZEdWd
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 29, 2023
China’s foreign ministry said in a position paper on the conflict that the UN Security Council should respond to “the general call of the international community that a comprehensive ceasefire be put in place to stop the fighting.”
Two Palestinian officials told Reuters that talks were continuing over a possible truce extension, but no agreement had yet been reached.
A Palestinian official said negotiators were hammering out whether Israeli men would be released on different terms than the exchange of three Palestinian detainees for each Israeli hostage that has applied to the women and children.
The handover of hostages was overshadowed by an unconfirmed claim by Hamas, the largest militant group in Gaza, that a family of Israeli hostages including the youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, had been killed during earlier Israeli bombardment.
AAP
Israelis face hard and difficult times. Goyim all around us scream quit! Make a cease fire!! But the t’shuva of Israel, WE shall not quit till WE achieve the total unconditional surrender of Hamas and its allies. Just that simple.
I would have to say Simcha Rothman has given the best interview on BBC’s HardTalk interviewed by Stephen Sakur.
I’ll be downloading his 29th November episode to keep in my library and would suggest others to do the same.
Lucky Israel.