By MELANIE LIDMAN, NAJIB JOBAIN and KAREEM CHEHAYEB (Associated Press)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed on the final minute Thursday to increase their cease-fire in Gaza by one other day to permit extra hostages and prisoners to be launched. But any additional renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, may show extra daunting since Hamas is predicted to set a better worth for lots of the remaining hostages.
Hamas freed two Israeli girls Thursday afternoon and extra hostage releases have been anticipated to comply with, the Israeli navy stated. At least 10 Israelis a day, together with different nationals, have been launched throughout the truce, in return for Israel’s launch of no less than 30 Palestinian prisoners.
International stress has mounted for the truce to proceed so long as doable after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a floor marketing campaign following Hamas’ lethal Oct. 7 assault on Israel that triggered the warfare. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and greater than three-quarters of the inhabitants of two.3 million have been uprooted, resulting in a humanitarian disaster. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Israel has vowed to renew the combating — with the objective of dismantling Hamas — as soon as the cease-fire ends.
The talks seem like rising more durable, with Hamas having already freed a lot of the girls and youngsters it kidnapped on Oct. 7. Hamas is predicted to make higher calls for in return for liberating scores of civilian males and troopers.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and different high officers on his third go to to the area for the reason that begin of the warfare, stated he hoped the cease-fire could possibly be prolonged and extra hostages could possibly be launched.
“This process is producing results. It’s important, and we hope that it can continue,” he stated.
Qatar and Egypt, which have performed a key position in mediating, are in search of to lengthen the deal by one other two days, in accordance with Diaa Rashwan, the top of Egypt’s State Information Service.
Thursday morning, Palestinian gunmen opened hearth on folks ready for buses alongside a predominant freeway getting into Jerusalem, killing no less than three folks and wounding a number of others, in accordance with Israeli police.
The two attackers, brothers from a neighborhood in annexed east Jerusalem, have been killed. After the assault, six different family members have been detained, and the federal government ordered their home be demolished. Hamas claimed duty for the assault, casting it as retaliation for the killing of ladies and youngsters in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and different Israeli “crimes.”
The assault didn’t seem to threaten the truce in Gaza. But escalating violence — together with Israeli raids — within the West Bank and east Jerusalem may blow again to wreck the quiet in Gaza, despite the fact that these areas aren’t coated underneath the cease-fire. On Wednesday, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian boys throughout a raid in Jenin, in accordance with Palestinian well being officers. The Israeli navy individually stated the raid killed two Islamic Jihad militants.
INCREASINGLY TENSE HOSTAGE TALKS
Netanyahu is underneath intense stress from households of the hostages to carry them dwelling. But his far-right governing companions are additionally pushing him to proceed the warfare till Hamas is destroyed, and will abandon his coalition if he’s seen as making too many concessions.
Israel says it would keep the truce till Hamas stops releasing captives, at which level it would resume navy operations aimed toward eliminating the group, even because the Biden administration has urged it to function with far higher precision if it does so.
The preliminary truce, which started Friday and has now been prolonged twice, referred to as for the discharge of ladies and youngsters. Israeli officers say Gaza militants nonetheless maintain round 30 girls and youngsters, who would all be launched inside a number of days on the present fee. The two girls launched to date on Thursday — who’re 21 and 40 years outdated — have returned to Israel.
It’s not clear how lots of the remaining girls hostages could be troopers. For troopers and the civilian males nonetheless in captivity, Hamas is predicted to demand the discharge of high-profile Palestinians convicted of lethal assaults, one thing Israel has strongly resisted prior to now.
Israel says round 125 males are nonetheless held hostage, together with a number of dozen troopers.
An Israeli official concerned in hostage negotiations stated talks on an extra extension for the discharge of civilian males and troopers have been nonetheless preliminary, and {that a} deal wouldn’t be thought of till all the ladies and youngsters are out. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of talks have been ongoing.
The 210 Palestinians launched, together with no less than seven Israeli Palestinians, have been girls and youngsters. The teenagers have been largely accused of throwing stones and firebombs throughout confrontations with Israeli forces. Various the ladies have been detained for pro-Palestinian social media posts that Israeli authorities stated constituted incitement of violence. Several have been convicted by navy courts of making an attempt to assault troopers, a few of them after being discovered carrying scissors or knives close to safety positions.
With Thursday’s releases, a complete of 75 Israelis, together with twin nationals, have been freed throughout the truce, most of whom seem bodily effectively however shaken. Another 24 hostages — 23 Thais and one Filipino — have additionally been launched, together with a number of males.
Before the cease-fire, Hamas launched 4 hostages, and the Israeli military rescued one. Two others have been discovered useless in Gaza. On Thursday, the navy confirmed the loss of life of Ofir Tzarfati, who was believed to be among the many hostages, with out offering any additional particulars. The 27-year-old attended a music competition the place no less than 360 folks have been killed and a number of other others have been kidnapped on Oct. 7.
Hamas and different Palestinian militants killed over 1,200 folks — principally civilians — of their wide-ranging assault throughout southern Israel that day and took round 240 folks captive. Authorities have solely ever offered approximate figures.
Israel’s bombardment and floor invasion in Gaza have killed greater than 13,300 Palestinians, roughly two-thirds of them girls and minors, in accordance with the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The toll is probably going a lot greater, as officers have solely sporadically up to date the depend since Nov. 11. The ministry says 1000’s extra individuals are feared useless underneath the rubble.
Israel says 77 of its troopers have been killed within the floor offensive. It claims to have killed 1000’s of militants, with out offering proof.
IN GAZA, AN ANXIOUS RESPITE
Palestinians in Gaza have been calling for a everlasting finish to the warfare, saying the short-term truces don’t resolve the humanitarian disaster throughout the territory. Over 1.8 million folks, round 80% of the territory’s inhabitants, have fled their properties, with greater than 1 million sheltering in U.N. faculties
In the central metropolis of Deir al-Balah, life’s day by day battle now consists of looking down primary commodities resembling flour and cooking gasoline that stay scarce regardless of elevated assist getting into throughout the truce.
“People want the war to stop … to see what happened in our homes and to our families,” stated Samir Yaghi, who fled from Gaza City. He stated he’s been looking for flour however can’t discover any.
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Jeffery reported from Cairo, Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Tel Aviv, Israel; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Najib Jobain in Rafah, Gaza Strip; and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.
Full AP protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”