Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted towards ceasefire in Gaza after continuing its assault for months in the region. This has come after Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape.
The families of hostages had demanded that Netanyahu struck deal before flying to US, where he will address Congress and is expected to meet President Joe Biden.
According to AP report, Netanyahu is in Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Netanyahu has signaled towards a cease-fire deal that would free dozens of hostages from captivity in Gaza could be taking shape. In a meeting late Monday in Washington with families of hostages, Netanyahu said the conditions to bring the captives back were “ripening,” as per the report. He said that was happening because of the fierce military pressure Israel was putting on Hamas.
For weeks, Israel and Hamas have been weighing a US-backed cease-fire deal that would bring a halt to the nine-month war and free the roughly 120 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attack. About a third of the hostages are said to be dead, and Israel’s military announced Monday that two more died in captivity.
Earlier, the Israeli’s military ordered the evacuation of part of a crowded area in the Gaza Strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, while the Health Ministry in Gaza says over 39,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the nine-month war.
The countries including Egypt, Qatar and the US are pushing Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would stop the fighting and free the remaining hostages.
Netanyahu's office has said a negotiating team will be sent to continue talks Thursday, the report mentioned.
Hamas, Fatah sign declaration in China: Earlier, Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing on ending a yearslong rift, Chinese state state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The development is interpreted as a step towards potentially resolving the deep divide between the sides as the war in Gaza rages on.
The declaration by the two heavyweights of Palestinian politics — and other smaller Palestinian groups — to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories is the result of the latest in a series of talks meant to unite the sides.
But previous declarations have failed, including a similar deal in 2011, casting doubt over whether the China-sponsored negotiations might actually lead to a resolution.
