"We will rescue all the hostages and eradicate Hamas. The militant group will cease to exist," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on 2/7. "We will destroy them root and branch."
Prime Minister Netanyahu's declaration followed US President Donald Trump's announcement on 1/7 that Israel "has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire agreement" in the Gaza Strip. Israeli leaders have not yet commented on the US president's statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar previously confirmed that Tel Aviv had agreed to the ceasefire proposal put forth by Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.
"We are truly serious about our desire to reach a hostage exchange agreement and a ceasefire," he said. "Our goal is to begin indirect negotiations as soon as possible."
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Rehovot on 20/6. Photo: AFP |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Rehovot on 20/6. Photo: AFP
Hamas says it is studying the latest proposals from mediators Qatar and Egypt, adding that their goal is "to reach an agreement that helps end the aggression, leads to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and allows the people there to receive emergency aid."
The specific details of the proposal have not been released, but a Palestinian source familiar with the matter said there are "no fundamental changes" from the terms previously offered by the US. This source said the proposal stipulates that during the 60-day ceasefire, Hamas will release half of the surviving hostages in Gaza in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners.
While the possibility of a ceasefire remains uncertain, fighting in the Gaza Strip continues fiercely. Local health officials said on 2/7 that the Israeli military had killed at least 139 people there in the past 24 hours, including Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, a key medical facility in northern Gaza.
On the evening of 2/7, the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order for three areas in Gaza City, the largest city in the strip, urging residents to move towards the Mawasi area in the south.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee said they are operating at a very high intensity there and will attack any location used to launch rockets into Israeli territory.
"The effort to destroy the militant groups will continue and will be expanded to the city center, encompassing all residential areas," he said.
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Locations of areas in the Gaza Strip. Graphic: BBC |
Locations of areas in the Gaza Strip. Graphic: BBC
The conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted in 10/2023 after Hamas launched a coordinated attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Currently, 49 people are still being held in Gaza, 27 of whom are believed by Israel to be dead.
The subsequent Israeli military retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 people, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities.
Pham Giang (According to AFP)
