The USA, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for weeks. The goal is a ceasefire. Washington is confident that things are now moving forward. The overview.
According to the USA, the tough indirect negotiations over a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza war are making progress.
We are getting “closer and closer” to a deal, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview with a Saudi Arabian TV station during his visit to the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah on Wednesday. The differences between the negotiating partners would become smaller. “I think an agreement is very possible,” Blinken said. He then wanted to travel to Egypt and on Friday to Israel.
The USA, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and the Islamist Hamas for weeks. The aim is a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. There is a “very strong proposal” on the table, said Blinken. Now we have to see whether Hamas agrees.
Israel should consider alternatives to Rafah offensive
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, meanwhile, called on his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant to consider alternatives to a ground offensive in the refugee-filled city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
In a phone call with Galant on Wednesday, Austin highlighted the need to consider options other than a major ground operation in Rafah, the Department of Defense in Washington said. According to the information, the conversation also discussed the urgent need to do more to protect the civilian population and to expand the transport of relief supplies to the sealed-off Gaza Strip by land.
Netanyahu: It will take some time until the Rafah offensive
Galant is expected in Washington next week. The Pentagon said the talks would then continue. An Israeli delegation is also scheduled to travel to the US capital to speak to US government representatives about their concerns about the planned ground offensive in Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear on Wednesday that preparations for such an offensive would still take some time. But he wants to hold on to it. Netanyahu reiterated that he had already approved the army’s operational plan for Rafah, “and soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate civilians from the combat areas.”
USA wants to continue supporting Israel
A US State Department spokesman reiterated that there had been no change in Washington’s support for Israel. The ministry spokesman was asked for a reaction to Canada’s announcement that it would not approve any new arms exports to Israel for the time being. This was a sovereign decision by the Canadians, he replied. US President Joe Biden made it clear that the US continues to support Israel and its right to self-defense – and at the same time Israel must protect the lives of civilians.
In an interview with Saudi Arabian television, US Secretary of State Blinken expressed his hope that the resolution submitted by the US to the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in conjunction with the release of the hostages would be supported by member countries.
His renewed talks in the Middle East are also about a vision for lasting peace in the region. “We want the conflict to end as quickly as possible, while preserving Israel’s ability to defend itself,” Blinken said in the interview.
Blinken is also concerned with the future of Gaza
Blinken reiterated the US desire for the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank and is led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to be transformed and then take back control of the Gaza Strip. Washington also wants to promote a two-state solution as a comprehensive approach to pacifying the Middle East.
Such a solution means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. However, Netanyahu rejects this, as does Hamas. The Palestinian Authority forcibly expelled them from Gaza in 2007 and denies Israel the right to exist.
Discussions on further aid by ship for the Gaza Strip
Experts and diplomats from 36 countries as well as representatives of international aid organizations discussed further aid deliveries by ship to the needy population in the Gaza Strip in Cyprus.
According to Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos, the focus was on logistical issues for transport by freighters from the Cypriot port of Larnaca to Gaza. A fund should be set up for this purpose. “The goal is to increase aid deliveries to Gaza as much as possible,” Kombos told reporters.
Report on secret plans in Israel for Gaza administration
Israeli security officials are secretly working on a plan to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip through unaffected Palestinians, according to a media report. As the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Israeli and Arab officials, this could lead to the creation of a Palestinian-run government agency in the disputed coastal strip.
The idea is to get Palestinian executives and business people who have no ties to the Islamist Hamas to help distribute aid. A senior Israeli defense official has held talks with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to gain regional support for such efforts. It is the first effort on the Israeli side to fill the power vacuum created by Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.
Report: Israel must prevent anarchy in Gaza
Many former Israeli security officials agree that Netanyahu lacks a workable plan for managing the densely populated coastal area, making it impossible to find a path to a more stable future, the New York Times wrote on Wednesday.
Some are convinced that Netanyahu must now set up an administration in northern Gaza and other areas from which the army has also withdrawn. Chaos and anarchy must be prevented from spreading any further. Hamas must also be prevented from repositioning itself. Without a plan, Israel’s soldiers would be embroiled in a protracted war of attrition, the newspaper wrote.
Dead in army operations in the West Bank
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force says it has carried out another anti-terror operation in the occupied West Bank. The Health Ministry in Ramallah said two Palestinians were killed in a drone attack in Tulkarem that night, and two others were killed by shots fired by Israeli soldiers during confrontations there.
Israel’s army confirmed an operation in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem. This served to combat terrorism. An aircraft hit two militant Palestinians who posed an immediate threat to the army. None of the information could initially be independently verified.
In another airstrike, Israel targeted a Palestinian vehicle. According to the army, the attack in the city of Jenin targeted two senior members of the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, three people were killed and another injured.
More terrorists killed in Shifa clinic operation
According to the military, there were additional deaths during the Israeli army’s operation in the Shifa Hospital in the city of Gaza. “Over the past day, more than 50 terrorists were eliminated in exchanges of fire,” the military said. Since the operation began in the clinic a few days ago, more than 140 terrorists have been killed in the area.
Israeli forces also found weapons caches there. According to the military, the operation will prevent harm to civilians, patients, medics and medical equipment. None of the information could initially be independently verified.
Damage to houses in the Gaza Strip is increasing rapidly
According to the UN, damage to houses in the Gaza Strip is increasing rapidly. Since the beginning of January, around 9,000 buildings have been completely destroyed, almost 3,000 have been seriously damaged and around 8,000 have been slightly damaged, reported the UN Satellite Center (Unosat). Since the beginning of the year there has been particularly much destruction in the districts of Khan Yunis and Gaza,
By the end of February, more than 31,000 buildings had been destroyed as a result of the war in the Gaza Strip. At the beginning of January there were a good 22,000. In addition, another 17,000 buildings were severely damaged and almost 41,000 were slightly damaged. Together, 35 percent of all buildings or 121,400 residential units are affected (at the beginning of January: 30 percent and around 94,000 apartments).
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
