The Israeli military announced the death in Gaza of four hostages captured on October 7.
Jerusalem:
Israel on Monday announced the deaths of four prisoners held in Gaza amid growing doubts and international pressure over a ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement outlined by US President Joe Biden.
Biden on Friday unveiled what he called a three-phase Israeli plan that would end the bloody conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stressed that the war triggered by the October 7 attack would continue until all “Israel’s objectives are achieved”, including the destruction of Hamas’ military and government capabilities.
And on Monday, the White House said Biden told Qatar’s mediating emir that he saw Hamas as “the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire” in Gaza, and urged him to pressure the group to accept it.
The G7 group of developed countries said in a statement that their leaders “fully support” the agreement promoted by Biden and called on Hamas to accept it.
The Israeli military announced the deaths in Gaza of four hostages captured on October 7, naming them as Chaim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper and Nadav Popplewell.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he was “very saddened to learn of the death” of British-Israeli Popplewell, adding: “We reiterate our demand that Hamas send all hostages home.”
All but Popplewell were seen alive in a video released by Hamas in December.
Separately, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “We assess that the four were killed while together in the Khan Yunis area during our operation against Hamas.”
On Monday morning, the army said it had located in Israel the body of paramedic Dolev Yehud, who was thought to be a hostage but was killed on October 7.
Israeli media questioned the extent to which Biden’s ceasefire speech and some crucial details were coordinated with Netanyahu’s team, including how long any truce would last and how many captives would be released and when.
Hamas said on Friday it viewed Biden’s outline “positively” but has since made no official comment on the stalled talks, while mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have not announced any new talks.
– ‘End of suffering’ –
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt issued a statement on Monday supporting the latest diplomatic effort.
They “emphasized the importance of dealing seriously and positively with the US president’s proposal” which could produce “a permanent ceasefire… and an end to the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip”, the joint statement said .
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer quoted Netanyahu as saying that the outline presented by Biden was only “partial” and that under the plan, fighting would only stop temporarily “for the purpose of returning the hostages.”
However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that the White House “saw again in Israel’s weekend a willingness to step forward and make a deal.”
And State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the proposal was “almost identical” to one put forward several weeks ago by Hamas and called on its leader, Yahya Sinwar, not to “move the goalposts.”
The fighting has shown no sign of abating, with the war that has devastated the coastal territory of 2.4 million people soon entering its ninth month.
On Monday, Israel’s military said its forces struck “more than 50 targets” in the past day, and Gaza hospitals reported at least 19 deaths in overnight attacks.
– Heavy fights –
The war was triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also took 251 hostages, 120 of whom remain in Gaza, including 41 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory bombing and ground offensive killed at least 36,470 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data provided by the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-administered territory.
About 55 percent of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, damaged or “possibly damaged” since the start of the war, according to the United Nations satellite analysis agency.
Intense fighting has occurred especially in the Rafah area in the far south of Gaza, close to the Egyptian border, where UN agencies say most civilians have been displaced once again.
The Israeli military said troops were carrying out “targeted operations in the Rafah area” and witnesses reported airstrikes and shelling.
Gaza’s European hospital said 10 people were killed in an airstrike on a house near the main southern city of Khan Yunis, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital reported six dead in an attack on a house in the central refugee camp. from Bureij.
The UN and other aid agencies have warned for months of the imminent risk of famine in the besieged territory, amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
– Political pressure –
Netanyahu, an aggressive veteran who leads a fragile far-right coalition government, is under intense domestic pressure from several sides.
Relatives and supporters of the hostages have organized mass protests demanding a truce agreement – but their far-right coalition allies are threatening to overthrow the government if it agrees to this.
In a video message on Monday, Netanyahu insisted that Israel would achieve “both tasks” in its war: “the elimination of Hamas” and the return of captives.
According to Biden, Israel’s three-phase offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and an initial exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Both sides would then negotiate a lasting ceasefire, with the truce continuing as long as talks continue, Biden said.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
