Israel has received an offer from Hamas for a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, Israeli media reported on Monday.
Hamas approves ceasefire proposal
The proposal rejects most of the demands that Hamas made last month, which led to the breakdown of talks in Doha.
Earlier, Middle East media reported that Hamas had softened its demands for the release of hostages. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of abandoning plans to continue military operations in Gaza.
Netanyahu seems to be largely dismissive of this, saying that “the terrorist group is under tremendous pressure” as Israel pushes ahead with plans to establish control over the city of Gaza.
Netanyahu also said in a televised address on Monday that he had met with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) command to discuss the operation to take Gaza City “and complete the tasks at hand.”
“Like you, I hear reports in the media (about Hamas lowering its demands), and one conclusion can be drawn from them – Hamas is under enormous pressure,” the prime minister said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz noted that for the first time in several weeks, Hamas was “ready to discuss a deal to release hostages only because of fear of our real determination to capture the city of Gaza.”
According to him, “the focus on Gaza City is explained by the fact that it is a military, governmental and symbolic centre.”
“We see that for the first time after weeks when Hamas was not at all ready to discuss any deal on the release of hostages, despite appeals from Turkey and Qatar, this issue has suddenly appeared on the agenda,” Katz also stressed.
Israel continues to target civilians
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Monday that more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 22-month war in Gaza. Of these, 1,965 were killed while trying to obtain aid in humanitarian convoys or near distribution points.
The ministry specified that at least 60 people had been killed in the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to 62,004. Another 156,230 people were injured.
Five deaths have been reported in Gaza hospitals over the past 24 hours, including two children. The United Nations and experts consider the ministry’s figures to be reliable, although Israel disputes them and does not provide its own data on casualties.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in a strike on the Daraj area.
