Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave have said, as mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce’s start on Sunday.
The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas emerged on Wednesday, outlining an initial six-week halt to the 15 months of bloodshed that has devastated the coastal territory – leaving more than 46,000 Palestinians dead – and inflamed the Middle East.
The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas emerged on Wednesday, outlining an initial six-week halt to the 15 months of bloodshed that has devastated the coastal territory – leaving more than 46,000 Palestinians dead – and inflamed the Middle East.
However, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Wednesday that the agreement was still not complete and that Hamas was objecting to a part that gave Israel the ability to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners – even as the militant group, which controls Gaza, reportedly accepted the deal.Israeli airstrikes continued throughout the night and early on Thursday, killing at least 46 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
Meanwhile, Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, causing no casualties.The truce, due to come into effect on Sunday, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and will allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.
A senior Biden administration official credited the presence of president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as being critical to reaching the agreement.