The workplace of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has introduced plans to dispatch a negotiating staff to Qatar for talks on a Gaza ceasefire proposal, as Israeli forces continued to bombard the Palestinian enclave, killing not less than 78 folks prior to now 24 hours.
Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned the staff would journey to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Sunday after the Israeli chief instructed negotiators “to simply accept the invitation for shut talks”.
However the assertion mentioned that “the adjustments Hamas is requesting to make to the Qatari proposal have been delivered to us final night time and are unacceptable to Israel”.
It didn’t elaborate on what adjustments have been being requested.
The announcement got here after Hamas mentioned on Friday that it had offered a “constructive” response to a United States-brokered proposal that may contain a 60-day truce in Gaza, renewing hopes of a potential finish to Israel’s lethal assault on the Palestinian enclave.
No less than 57,338 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s battle on Gaza, which started in October 2023. No less than 135,957 others have been wounded, whereas Israeli assaults and a siege has laid waste to the Gaza, spurred a dire humanitarian disaster and left the Strip getting ready to famine.
An estimated 1,139 folks have been killed in Israel throughout the October 7, 2023, assaults, and greater than 200 have been taken captive. Some 50 captives stay in Gaza, of whom Israel believes 27 are useless.
Hamas has insisted that any ceasefire settlement should embrace ensures that Israel will completely finish its battle on Gaza.
The Palestinian group mentioned on Friday that it was “absolutely ready, with all seriousness, to right away enter a brand new spherical of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing” the newest ceasefire framework.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman in Jordan, defined that Hamas has made requests for 3 core amendments to the proposal.
“They wished the talks for ending the battle to proceed if there was a pause within the preventing, if that 60 days was over,” she mentioned.
The Palestinian group additionally needs humanitarian assist to be delivered to Gaza via United Nations-led worldwide mechanisms as a substitute of the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF).
Greater than 700 Palestinians have been killed and 1000’s wounded whereas searching for assist at GHF websites because the group started working within the Strip in late Could.
“The third [request] was about the place Israeli forces may very well be within the Gaza Strip as a part of this deal,” Salhut added.
The announcement from Netanyahu’s workplace got here as households and supporters of Israeli captives rallied in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, demanding a deal to safe the return of their family members. The households have accused Netanyahu – who’s on trial on expenses of corruption – of blocking makes an attempt to achieve a deal for his private acquire.
Salhut defined that the captives’ households have accused the Israeli prime minister of “prioritising politics” over the lives of their family members.
“His present right-wing allies – the rationale why Netanyahu is in energy – don’t need a deal,” she mentioned, including that US President Donald Trump has additionally been pushing for an settlement between Israel and Hamas.
Trump will host Netanyahu for talks on the White Home in Washington, DC, on Monday.
Earlier on Saturday, Israel’s far-right nationwide safety minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a key member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, referred to as on the Israeli prime minister to “abandon the trail of give up”.
In a put up on X, Ben-Gvir wrote that any ceasefire deal that would come with Israel’s withdrawal from “conquered territories”, the discharge of Palestinian prisoners, or the “revitalisation of Hamas with humanitarian assist” would represent a “reward for terrorism”.
“The one method to obtain victory and securely return our hostages is thru the entire conquest of the Strip, a complete cessation of ‘humanitarian’ assist, and the encouragement to emigration,” he mentioned.
“I name on the prime minister to desert the trail of give up and return to the trail of victory.”
Omer Bartov, an Israeli-American scholar of Holocaust and genocide research at Brown College, informed Al Jazeera that he believes Netanyahu “doesn’t need to finish the battle in Gaza”.
If Netanyahu stops preventing, it might result in the autumn of his authorities, so “what he’s doing now’s hedging his bets”, Bartov mentioned.
“What he’s making an attempt to barter is one thing that feels actually cynical – each from the viewpoint of the battle that’s consistently taking place in Gaza, and from the viewpoint of the households of the hostages,” he mentioned.
He mentioned it is because the ceasefire proposal solely gives for the return of 10 Israeli captives held by Hamas, “out of presumably 20 who’re nonetheless alive”.
“That may make it potential for [Netanyahu] at a sure level to say: ‘Hamas has not met all of the circumstances and, subsequently, now we have to renew the preventing’,” mentioned Bartov. “And Hamas must settle for that.”
In Gaza, in the meantime, Israel’s relentless bombardment continued, with troopers bombing a United Nations-run college and a residential constructing in Gaza Metropolis, killing not less than 9 folks.
Zahwa Salmi, who survived the assault on al-Shafi college in Gaza Metropolis, informed Al Jazeera the bombing occurred early within the morning whereas displaced households have been sleeping.
“At round 2:15am [23:15 GMT], we heard the sound of one thing devastating explode within the corridor,” she recounted.
“Folks have been shouting: ‘There isn’t any god however Allah! Assist us, somebody!’ However then we now not heard any sound from them.”
The victims of Israeli assaults additionally included 9 individuals who have been gunned down close to the GHF assist distribution level in southern Rafah. The victims included three youngsters.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza Metropolis, mentioned survivors of the assault on the GHF web site recounted being afraid to select up the useless as a result of they have been afraid of being shot as nicely.
“The variety of Palestinians killed whereas making an attempt to get meals has now crossed 700. That is taking place in a spot the place enforced dehydration and hunger is widespread. Individuals are going hungry. They ration what little they’ve. Many households should not consuming. Moms are skipping meals to verify their youngsters have sufficient,” he mentioned.
“This additionally reveals one other aspect of the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF). No matter they’re doing is hardly aid. It’s largely performative – there may be nothing genuinely humanitarian about it. They’re crowding determined folks into harmful circumstances with zero security and 0 transparency.”
