21-11-2023 (GAZA) The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, informed Reuters on Tuesday (Nov 21) that the Palestinian militant group is on the verge of reaching a truce agreement with Israel. This announcement comes amidst the ongoing deadly assault on Gaza and the firing of rockets into Israel.
Haniyeh revealed that Hamas officials are close to finalizing the truce agreement, with the group having conveyed its response to Qatari mediators. However, specific details about the potential agreement were not disclosed in the statement.
US President Joe Biden expressed optimism on Monday, stating that he believed an accord was close at hand. White House spokesman John Kirby remarked, “We’re closer now than we’ve been before,” referring to an agreement aimed at securing the release of hostages held in Gaza and facilitating a temporary halt in the conflict to allow much-needed aid into the besieged enclave.
Hamas took approximately 240 hostages during its rampage into Israel on Oct 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), met with Haniyeh in Qatar on Monday to address humanitarian issues related to the conflict. The ICRC clarified that it is not part of negotiations for the release of hostages but stands ready as a neutral intermediary to facilitate any future release agreed upon by the parties.
Reports of an imminent hostage deal have circulated for days. Last week, Reuters reported that Qatari mediators were exploring a deal for Hamas and Israel to exchange 50 hostages in return for a three-day ceasefire, allowing increased emergency aid shipments to Gaza civilians.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog expressed hope for an agreement “in the coming days,” while Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani mentioned that remaining sticking points were “very minor.”
However, caution is warranted, as White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer emphasized that “sensitive negotiations like this can fall apart at the last minute.”
Hamas’ Oct 7 raid, the deadliest day in Israel’s history, prompted a significant Israeli invasion of the Palestinian territory to target Hamas. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run government reported over 13,300 Palestinians killed, including thousands of children and women, due to relentless Israeli bombardment.
On Monday, Hamas claimed to have launched a missile barrage towards Tel Aviv, with witnesses reporting rockets fired at central Israel.
In the latest developments, the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza faced Israeli bombing, resulting in at least 17 Palestinian casualties, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Additionally, the Indonesian Hospital complex in Gaza was reportedly targeted, with at least 12 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The hospital, funded by Indonesian organizations, had been encircled by Israeli tanks.
