Breaking news- Hopes for a Gaza ceasefire remain alive, as further negotiations are scheduled.

 

Gaza ceasefire hopes alive with more talks planned

U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators raced to help Israel and Hamas in their four-month-old conflict in the Gaza Strip come to a ceasefire after the U.S. top diplomat on a Middle East mission expressed optimism about a possible agreement.

The team of the Palestinian Hamas, headed by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, was scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Thursday for ceasefire negotiations with Egypt and Qatar. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that he believed there was a possibility for negotiation.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, rejected Hamas' most recent offer on Wednesday, labeling it "delusional," as the Palestinian armed groups issued an appeal to continue fighting.

At a late-night press appearance on Wednesday in a Tel Aviv hotel, Blinken declared, "There are nonstarters in what (Hamas has) put forward," though he did not elaborate on what the nonstarters were.

"However, we also see room in the results to continue discussions and try to reach a consensus. That's our plan of action.

Blinken was scheduled to visit Israel on Thursday before returning to the United States. Among the people he was expected to meet with were relatives of hostages who were still being held in Gaza and who had been pleading with Netanyahu to give securing their release priority.

The militant organization that controls Gaza, Hamas, presented a four-and-a-half-month truce that would see Israel remove its troops from Gaza, liberate all captives held there, and a cease-fire deal to end the conflict.

The suggestion from the Israeli and American espionage chiefs was met with a rebuttal from Hamas last week via mediators from Qatar and Egypt.

Six Israeli officials and top advisors told NBC News that Israel would be willing to allow Hamas military chief Yahya Sinwar to go into exile in exchange for the release of all captives and the dissolution of the Hamas government in Gaza.

Netanyahu responded to the Hamas proposal by reiterating his vow to crush the Islamist movement, claiming Israel has no choice but to bring about its downfall.

"Acquiescing to the irrational demands of Hamas will not only result in the hostages' release, but it will also invite another genocide." The Israeli prime minister warned reporters on Wednesday that it would "invite a grave disaster for the state of Israel that none of our citizens are willing to accept."

"Continued military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the hostages," Netanyahu stated.

After Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 in southern Israel on October 7, Israel launched its military campaign.

According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel's offensive has resulted in at least 27,585 documented Palestinian deaths, with thousands more people likely buried under debris.

At the end of November, 110 hostages were liberated and 240 Palestinian detainees were released by Israel during the only truce to date, which lasted one week.

There is public pressure on Netanyahu, whose popularity at home is at an all-time low, to keep collaborating with foreign mediators to settle in Gaza.

According to a poll conducted this week among Israelis by the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute, 51% of participants said that freeing the captives should be the primary objective of the conflict, while 36% thought that overthrowing Hamas should be the major objective.

The truce and hostage agreement have been portrayed by Washington as components of a larger Middle East conflict resolution strategy that will eventually result in peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, which the kingdom claims is necessary to restore relations with Israel.

Israel intensifies its attack on Rafah

The biggest city in the southern part of Gaza, Khan Younis, has been Israel's focus recently. However, Israel announced this week that it would extend its campaign to Rafah, where over half of the 2.3 million residents of the enclave are confined near the Egyptian border.

Many have moved multiple times to avoid Israeli assaults; they also face severe food shortages and a high risk of illness.

Locals in southern Gaza reported that Israel intensified its attack on Rafah during the early hours of Thursday. Israel asserts that Rafah has become a stronghold for combat units of Hamas.

According to locals, two residences in the city's Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood were struck by two Israeli attacks. According to Hamas propaganda, 11 people were hurt and seven people died.

Palestinian media footage captured hasty attempts to get the injured people to the hospital.