Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Hamas says any agreement would depend on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, ceasefire


(MENAFN) Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing at least 23 people, according to rescue teams. These strikes occurred nearly 15 months into the conflict with Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement. The latest deaths come after Israel announced late Saturday that indirect negotiations had resumed in Qatar for a potential truce and hostage release agreement, signaling a shift towards diplomatic efforts to address the ongoing war.

Hamas, in response to Israel’s offer, approved a list of 34 hostages to be exchanged in a potential ceasefire deal. However, the group emphasized that any agreement would depend on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire. The negotiations, which involve mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, have been ongoing for several months in an attempt to find a resolution to the war.

The renewed talks come at a significant time, just days before Donald Trump is set to take office as the President of the United States on January 20. Israeli negotiators were dispatched on Friday to resume discussions in Doha, where efforts to broker a ceasefire and the release of hostages have been underway. The diplomatic momentum is building, but a deal remains contingent on both sides reaching agreements on key issues.

Amid these diplomatic efforts, an Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's northern Sheikh Radwan area early Sunday killed at least 11 people, including women and children, according to the Civil Defence agency. The ongoing violence continues to take a toll, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting a total of 88 deaths over the previous 24 hours, underscoring the devastating human cost of the conflict.

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