Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
12-07-2025
DOHA/ GAZA/ JERUSALEM: Hamas says it has agreed to release 10 Israeli captives as part of continuing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip, but warned that ongoing talks for a truce were “tough” due to Israel’s “intransigence”.
The comments on Wednesday came as Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza, and United States President Donald Trump again expressed hope that a truce could be reached soon.
Hamas said the talks, spearheaded by key mediators Qatar and the US, have several sticking points, including the flow of desperately needed aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and “genuine guarantees for a permanent ceasefire”.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group agreed to the latest truce proposal and “offered the necessary flexibility to protect our people, stop the crime of genocide, and allow the free and dignified entry and flow of aid to our people until we reach a complete end to the war”.
He added that the areas Israeli troops should withdraw to as part of the first phase of a ceasefire had to be drawn up in a way that does not affect Palestinian lives and “paves the way for the second phase of negotiations”.
In Washington, DC, Trump, who has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House twice this week, said there is a “very good chance” of a ceasefire in Gaza, although his latest comments appear to reduce his expectations.
“I think we have a chance this week or next week. Not definitely. There’s nothing definite about war and Gaza and all the other places that we deal with so much,” he told reporters but “there’s a very good chance that we will have settlement, an agreement of some kind, this week and maybe next week if not.”
‘Death, darkness’
Journalist Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC, said Trump, while optimistic, was “not nearly as adamant as when he was demanding a ceasefire” before Netanyahu’s ongoing visit to the US capital.
“We’re hearing from Trump’s aides that they are down to one issue but Hamas says that’s misinformation, that they still need guarantees that the ceasefire will continue past the 60 days, that they still need to agree on where Israeli troops withdraw from, and who would handle humanitarian aid distribution. So, from Hamas’s perspective, a lot is still on the table.”
In Israel, meanwhile, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said in a televised speech that “conditions have been created” for the advancement of a deal that is set to see the release of 10 captives who are alive, and the bodies of nine others.
Despite the prospects of a ceasefire, Israeli forces continued to attack various parts of the enclave, killing at least 74 people on Wednesday, eight of whom died while waiting for food at a distribution point of the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
“Unfortunately, this has become the norm, characterized by the ongoing bombardment and forced starvation and dehydration. People are getting killed trying to get food,” Journalist Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said.
The number of Palestinians killed at GHF sites has surpassed 770, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
“From day one of GHF operations, there’s been an orgy of killing, either by the Israeli military or the documented incident of GHF officers opening fire.”
The killings also come as health officials once again plead for the entry of much-needed fuel for hospitals on the verge of collapse and patients’ lives are at risk. (Int’l News Desk)
