The Palestinian group agrees to renew ceasefire talks, promising to free Edan Alexander and hand over 4 different captives’ our bodies.
The Palestinian group Hamas has introduced it is able to free Israeli American captive Edan Alexander and hand over the stays of 4 different twin nationals, after holding oblique talks with Israel.
Hamas stated in an announcement on Friday that its delegation obtained a proposal from mediators on Thursday to renew ceasefire negotiations, and the group’s reply “included its settlement to launch the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, together with the stays of 4 others holding twin citizenship”.
Earlier, Hamas official Husam Badran stated the group “is set to implement the ceasefire settlement in its numerous phases, and the occupation’s departure from what was agreed will take us again to zero”.
Following the Palestinian group’s assertion, Israel accused Hamas of partaking in “psychological warfare”.
“Whereas Israel accepted the Witkoff framework, Hamas stays agency in its refusal and has not budged an inch,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace stated, referring to US Center East envoy Steve Witkoff, and accusing Hamas of resorting to “manipulation and psychological warfare.”
On Tuesday, a senior Hamas official had introduced {that a} new spherical of oblique talks via mediators had begun within the Qatari capital Doha. Israel had additionally despatched a group of negotiators.
The primary part of a truce between Hamas and Israel within the Gaza Strip ended on March 1, with out settlement on the subsequent phases.
Throughout the preliminary six-week part of the ceasefire, Hamas launched 33 captives, together with eight who had been deceased, in trade for about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, many held in Israeli prisons with out cost.
After the truce settlement expired with no new deal, Israel swiftly applied a complete blockade on the besieged Palestinian territory, leaving 2.3 million individuals on the brink of mass starvation.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis, stated civilians “are going through extreme and persistent scarcity” of primary meals and medical provides.
Olga Cherevko from the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) informed Al Jazeera that the state of affairs was dire “on a number of ranges”.
“The hope that started when the ceasefire began is being changed with worry, alarm and concern that provides are working out,” she stated.
Cherevko stated meals availability “might deteriorate fairly quickly until the provides are restored”. Six of the 25 World Meals Programme bakeries have been pressured to shut as a result of there isn’t a gas to run them.
In line with Gaza’s Authorities Media Workplace, shortages have worsened with 80 p.c of residents dropping entry to meals sources due to the closing of land crossings.
Israel had additionally severed electricity to a vital water desalination plant, threatening Gaza’s potable water provide.
“The water and sanitation state of affairs was already dire with many of the amenities destroyed through the months of preventing. This newest [Israeli] resolution reduces entry to consuming water to about 600,000 individuals,” Cherevko stated.
Regardless of the continued talks over the subsequent part of the ceasefire, Israel has continued to bombard Gaza, with assaults on Gaza Metropolis and Beit Lahiya killing two youngsters.
Gaza’s Ministry of Well being stated at the least 48,524 individuals have been killed and 111,955 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
A minimum of 1,139 individuals had been killed in Israel through the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assaults and greater than 200 had been taken captive.
