CAIRO (AP) — Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt stepped up efforts to negotiate a deal to end the war that has lasted since months and prevent a planned Israeli ground offensive in the southern city. from Rafah.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, gave no details of Israel’s offer, but said it was a response to a Hamas proposal two weeks ago. Negotiations earlier this month focused on a proposed six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
A separate Hamas statement said leaders of the three main militant groups active in Gaza discussed attempts to end the war. He did not mention the Israeli proposal.
The statements came hours after an Egyptian delegation concluded a visit to Israel where it discussed a “new vision” of an extended ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who is expressed on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the evolution of the situation.
It was not immediately clear whether Israel’s proposal was directly related to the visit.
Discussions between Egyptian and Israeli officials focused on the first stage of a plan that would include a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in the north of Gaza “with a minimum of restrictions”. ” the Egyptian official said.
Mediators are working on a compromise that will address most of the main demands of both sides, which could pave the way for continued negotiations with the aim of reaching a deal ending the war, the official said.
Hamas said it would not back down from its demands for a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. Israel rejected both proposals and said it would continue military operations until Hamas is defeated and maintain a security presence in Gaza.
There is growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire deal and avoid an Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have sought refuge.
Israel has insisted for months on its intention of a ground offensive on Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where, according to it, many Hamas militants have remained, despite calls for restraint, notably from the most Israel’s faithful ally, the United States.
Egypt has warned that an offensive on Rafah could have “catastrophic consequences” on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where famine is feared, as well as regional peace and security.
The Israeli army has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel near Rafah and hit sites in the city in near-daily airstrikes.
On Saturday morning, an airstrike hit a house in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, killing a man, his wife and their sons, aged 12, 10 and 8, according to records from the Abu Yousef al-Hospital morgue. Najjar. A neighbor’s 4-month-old daughter was also killed.
Ahmed Omar rushed with other neighbors after the 1:30 a.m. strike to search for survivors, but said they only found bodies and body parts.
“It’s a tragedy,” he said.
An Israeli airstrike later Saturday on a building in Rafah killed seven people, including six members of the Ashour family, according to the morgue.
Five people were killed overnight in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza when an Israeli strike hit a house, according to officials at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the army said. He said the men opened fire on troops stationed at the Salem checkpoint, near the town of Jenin.
Violence in the West Bank has erupted since the war. The Ramallah-based Health Ministry says 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.
Washington has criticized Israeli policy in the West Bank. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expected in Israel on Tuesday, recently determined that an army unit there had committed human rights violations before the war in Gaza.
But Blinken said in an undated letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, that he was postponing a decision to block unity aid in order to give Israel more time to make amends for wrongdoing. Blinken stressed that overall US military support for Israel’s defense would not be affected.
The United States also built a dock to deliver aid to Gaza through a new port. The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday that it would be operational in early May.
The BBC reported that the British government was considering deploying troops to drive aid trucks ashore, citing unidentified government sources. British officials declined to comment.
Another humanitarian operation, a three-ship flotilla from Turkey, was prevented from sailing, organizers said.
Student protests against the war and its effects on Palestinians are growing on college campuses across the United States, while demonstrations continue in many countries.
Hamas started the war by attacking southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Hamas released a video on Saturday showing hostages Keith Siegel and Omri Miran. It is unclear when exactly the video was made. Both were referring to the Jewish holiday of Passover, which began Monday. They called on the Israeli government to reach a deal with Hamas. They certainly spoke under duress.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, about two-thirds of them children and women. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry said 32 people killed were transported to local hospitals in the past 24 hours.
Israel blames Hamas for civilian losses, accusing it of establishing itself in residential areas. Israel has reported at least 260 soldiers killed since the start of ground operations.
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David Rising reported from Bangkok. Jack Jeffery in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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