©Reuters. Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in this undated image published February 24, 2024. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
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By Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen clashed across the Gaza Strip at the weekend, as mediators stepped up the pace of talks on a possible ceasefire to free hostages held by Hamas and bring a measure of respite during Ramadan to the battered enclave. .
The prospects of securing a truce appeared uncertain, however, with Israel saying it was simultaneously planning to expand its push to destroy Hamas, while the Islamist faction stood firm on its demand for a permanent end to the nearly five-month war. .
Residents said Israeli forces shelled several areas of the enclave as tanks entered Beit Lahiya and soldiers and gunmen waged battles in the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City, both in the north, which had been captured at the start of the ‘offensive.
At least 86 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since Saturday, medics said on Sunday. The Israeli army said two soldiers died in fighting in southern Gaza and that its forces killed or captured Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and elsewhere.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his war cabinet for a briefing Saturday evening by intelligence chiefs returning from a meeting with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States in Paris on a possible second ceasefire the fire in Gaza.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that negotiators from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel “have come to an understanding” on the basic contours of a hostage agreement during talks in Paris.
The deal is still being negotiated, Sullivan said, adding that there will have to be indirect talks between Qatar and Egypt with Hamas.
Netanyahu told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that it was not yet clear whether a hostage deal would materialize from the talks, declining to discuss details but saying Hamas must make more reasonable demands.
“They’re on another planet. But if they come to a reasonable situation, then yes, we will have a hostage deal. I hope so,” he said.
DOHA TALKS THIS WEEK
Egyptian security sources said there would be further talks this week in Doha, with mediators shuttling between Hamas and Israeli delegates, and a follow-up in Cairo. There was no immediate confirmation of this from Israel, Hamas or Qatar.
The first lull in fighting, in November, saw the release of about half of the 253 people seized by Hamas during the October 7 cross-border killing spree that sparked the war. With that deal, Israel freed three times as many Palestinians from its security prisons and admitted more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israeli media, citing unnamed officials, reported that there was a framework for the return of about a third of the 130 remaining hostages during a six-week truce covering the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. No formal confirmation from both parties.
Palestinian officials said Hamas insists that Israel halt the offensive and withdraw forces under any agreement. Israel has signaled its intention to move into one of the last cities where Hamas, which has vowed to destroy it, has forces intact.
“We are working to reach another framework for the release of our abductees, as well as completing the elimination of Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu said on Facebook (NASDAQ:), referring to the city in far southern Gaza. near the border with Egypt.
This week, he added, Israel’s security cabinet will approve military plans for Rafah, including the evacuation of more than a million displaced Palestinian civilians who have taken refuge there, and whose fate worries world powers.
Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, Gaza medical officials say. According to official counts, the October 7 Hamas raid killed 1,200 people in Israel, which also lost 241 soldiers in subsequent fighting in Gaza.