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By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud
CAIRO/RAFAH, Gaza (Reuters) -Efforts to safe a deal on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza had been nonetheless ongoing, in response to a press release by Israel’s intelligence company Mossad on Saturday, regardless of dimming hopes for a truce throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Mossad chief David Barnea met on Friday together with his U.S. counterpart William Burns to advertise a deal that will see hostages launched, Mossad mentioned in a press release distributed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s workplace.
“Contacts and cooperation with the mediators proceed on a regular basis in an effort to slim the gaps and attain agreements,” Mossad mentioned.
Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamist group that guidelines the Palestinian enclave, have traded blame over the obvious impasse in talks within the run-up to Ramadan, which begins on or round March 10.
A Hamas supply advised Reuters the group’s delegation was “unlikely” to make one other go to to Cairo over the weekend for talks.
Egypt, the USA and Qatar have been mediating truce negotiations since January. The final deal led to a week-long pause in combating in November throughout which Hamas launched greater than 100 hostages and Israel freed about 3 times as many Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas blames Israel for the deadlock in negotiations for an extended ceasefire and the discharge of 134 hostages believed nonetheless held in Gaza – saying it refuses to present ensures to finish the warfare or pull its forces from the enclave.
Mossad mentioned Hamas was digging its heels in and aiming for violence within the area to spiral throughout Ramadan. Israeli officers have mentioned that the warfare will finish solely with the defeat of Hamas, whose calls for Netanyahu has known as “delusional”.
In a press release on Saturday marking Ramadan, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh vowed the Palestinians will proceed to combat Israel “till they regain freedom and independence”
5 months into Israel’s air and floor assault on Gaza, well being authorities there say practically 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1000’s extra our bodies are feared buried beneath rubble.
The warfare was triggered by an Oct. 7 assault by Hamas on southern Israel, by which 1,200 folks had been killed and 253 taken hostage, in response to Israeli tallies.
Stepping up strain on the final space of Gaza it has not but invaded with floor forces, Israel struck one of many largest residential towers within the southern metropolis of Rafah.
The 12-floor constructing was broken within the strike, and residents mentioned dozens of households had been made homeless, although no casualties had been reported. Israel’s army mentioned the block was being utilized by Hamas to plan assaults on Israelis.
One of many 300 residents of the tower, positioned close to the border with Egypt, advised Reuters Israel gave them a 30-minute warning to flee the constructing at evening.
“Individuals had been startled, operating down the steps, some fell, it was chaos. Individuals left their belongings and cash,” mentioned Mohammad Al-Nabrees, including that amongst those that tripped down the steps throughout the panicked evacuation was a good friend’s pregnant spouse.
The strike raised alarm amongst residents of a wider Israeli assault on Rafah, the place greater than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals are sheltering.
AID SHIP
Hamas on Saturday named 4 Israeli hostages as having died in Israeli strikes within the enclave, although it supplied no proof. The Israeli army, which declined to remark, has beforehand mentioned such movies by Hamas had been psychological warfare.
Israel’s offensive has plunged Gaza right into a humanitarian disaster. A lot of the coastal enclave is lowered to rubble and most of its inhabitants is displaced, with the U.N. warning of illness and hunger.
The dying toll from malnutrition and dehydration has risen to 25 in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesman of Gaza’s well being ministry mentioned, together with three kids who died of dehydration and malnutrition on the northern Al Shifa Hospital in a single day.
A ship laden with aid provides for Gaza was getting ready on Saturday to depart Cyprus. The European Fee has mentioned a maritime help hall between Cyprus and Gaza may begin working as early as this weekend in a pilot venture run by a world charity and financed by the United Arab Emirates.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Extra reporting by Noele Illiene, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Adam Makary, Henriette Chacar and Maayan LubellEditing by Giles Elgood, Helen Popper and Frances Kerry)
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