Gaza ceasefire negotiations resume amid intensified Israeli raids
Palestinians use a wheelchair to transport through the rubble a woman who lost her leg when her family home was hit in an Israeli strike in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 7, 2024. (AFP)
Israel confirmed on Saturday the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar for a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, despite escalating air and land raids in the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced ongoing efforts, including a delegation sent to Qatar, to secure the release of 96 hostages still held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
Recall that the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, released a video of 19-year-old Israeli conscript Liri Albag pleading for her freedom, urging Israel’s government to act. Her family echoed this appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Meanwhile, Gaza witnessed fresh devastation, with over 30 fatalities reported in Israeli airstrikes. In Gaza City, a dawn strike leveled the Al-Ghoula family home, killing 11, including seven children. Rescuers described the aftermath as dire, with victims, including children, shrouded in white sheets amidst smoking rubble.
In southern Gaza, five security personnel escorting aid convoys were killed in Khan Yunis, though Israel claimed they were linked to terrorist activities. Additional strikes throughout the region claimed at least ten more lives, further straining humanitarian efforts.
The United States, a key ally of Israel, notified Congress of an $8 billion arms sale to bolster Israel’s defense capabilities, despite international calls for de-escalation.
The ongoing raging attacks by the Israeli forces have resulted in staggering casualties, with over 45,700 deaths in Gaza and 1,208 fatalities in Israel since the conflict began, marking one of the deadliest periods in the region’s history.
