Israel, Hamas in agreement on most paragraphs in bridging proposal: Report
Citing a senior Biden administration official, AP is reporting that Israel and Hamas are in agreement on 14 of the 18 paragraphs in the proposal meant to bridge gaps between the two sides in the ongoing ceasefire talks.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP that Israel and Hamas have technical differences about one paragraph and deeper differences about three paragraphs of the proposal.
Those three paragraphs focus on the number of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for Israeli captives during the first phase of the three-phased ceasefire deal.
The official said the dispute has been further complicated by the killing of the six Israeli captives whose bodies were found in Gaza on Saturday. Now, “you just have fewer hostages as part of the deal in phase one”, the official was quoted as saying.
Separately, Hamas has also raised objections to Netanyahu’s insistence on remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor, saying that position is in breach of the bridging agreement’s call for Israel to leave densely populated areas of Gaza. The US official, however, told AP there is no direct mention of the Philadelphi Corridor in the bridging proposal.
Philadelphi Corridor ‘ploy made up by Netanyahu to prevent agreement with Hamas’
A former Israeli negotiator has said that while a quick deal with Hamas is possible to end the war, Netanyahu is intentionally obstructing it by insisting on Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which he called a “ploy”.
“I’ve talked to numerous military personnel in Israel who all agree that this war could end in three weeks,” Gershon Baskin said.
“Israeli military correspondence revealed its army has not found one single smuggling tunnel that goes underneath the Philadelphi Corridor. So this is obviously a ploy made up by Netanyahu to prevent agreement with Hamas.
“Hamas told me in private conversations that, if the war ends in three weeks, they would be willing to release all the Israeli hostages. Of course, they are demanding that Israel release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners. But it’s a deal that can be made.”
The majority of Israelis, he added, would favour such a deal, as their top priority is bringing home the captives. “But the society is very divided,” he added. “There are those [in Israel] who believe that if we bring the hostages home and make a deal with Hamas we are just inviting another October 7. And there’s a great deal of fear.
Palestinians in Gaza wish to die rather than live through more violence: Study
ACAPS, a Swiss research group, has published a study on how Israel’s war is affecting the mental health of Palestinians in Gaza.
The report, based on interviews with humanitarian responders, says:
- There has been a significant increase in mental health issues across Gaza, including widespread depression, anxiety and trauma.
- Both adults and children are expressing the wish to die rather than live through further displacement, violence and deprivation.
- Almost all of the estimated 1.2 million children in Gaza are in need of psychological help. Problems include depression in children as young as five, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and regressive behaviours such as bedwetting.
- While security is a basic minimal requirement for effective mental health support, there is no safe place in Gaza.
