International
Gaza crisis: Israel hints new negotiations to recover hostages, ceasefire urged
Date • 2023-12-17 146
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm on Saturday that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages held by Hamas, after a source said Israel's intelligence chief met the prime minister of Qatar, a country mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a televised press conference a day after Israeli forces mistakenly killed three of over 100 hostages held by Hamas, Netanyahu referred to the conflict as an existential war that must be fought until victory. Despite pressure and costs, he stated that Gaza would be demilitarized and under Israeli security control.
"There will be demilitarization. The Israel Defense Forces will be responsible for security in the Gaza Strip because there is no other factor that will ensure the fight against terrorism, and I can tell you that there will be a civil governance that does not educate its children to destroy Israel," he stressed.
Netanyahu added that once Hamas is destroyed, the focus would shift to the northern region, where nearly 100,000 Israelis are currently displaced. The situation there would involve either a diplomatic resolution or another way to address the issue.
Regarding the new negotiations between Israel's intelligence chief and the Qatari Prime Minister, Netanyahu mentioned that Israel's offensive in Gaza had helped secure a partial hostage-release deal in November. He pledged to maintain intense military pressure on Hamas, stating that "the instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing."
A Hamas statement said the group "affirms its position not to open any negotiations to exchange prisoners unless the aggression against our people stops once and for all," adding: "The movement communicated this position to all mediators."
Israel's counterattack on Gaza was initiated after a surprise cross-border assault on October 7 by Hamas militants resulted in 1,200 casualties and the capture of 240 hostages. The counterattack has claimed nearly 19,000 lives, according to Gaza health authorities, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.
Ceasefire urged
UK foreign minister David Cameron and German counterpart Annalena Baerbock stated on Saturday that the "need is urgent" for a "sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza.
The two ministers wrote in a joint Sunday Times article that "too many civilians have been killed" in the conflict, and raised the pressure on Israel to bring its operation against Hamas to a swift, but "sustainable", end.
"We must do all we can to pave the way to a sustainable ceasefire, leading to a sustainable peace. The sooner it comes, the better – the need is urgent," they wrote.
However, the pair also said that they "do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward."
They believed that Hamas, who still fires rockets to kill Israeli citizens every day, must lay down its arms.
U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has urged Israel to scale down its Gaza campaign and transition to more narrowly targeted operations against Hamas leaders, U.S. officials said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), reiterated his call on Friday for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Tedros said, "The only real remedy is an immediate ceasefire" in completing the tasks including increasing technical and material assistance in the current circumstances.
This year witnessed over 1,200 documented attacks on health workers, patients, hospitals, clinics and ambulances across 19 countries, resulting in nearly 700 deaths and over 1,100 injuries, according to the head of the WHO.
(With input from agencies)