Hard work on ceasefire deal in Gaza war – Night at a glance
Published: Wednesday, Feb 28th 2024, 06:01
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The international mediators in the Gaza war continue to work hard behind the scenes to achieve a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages. The USA and Qatar, which together with Egypt are facilitating the indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamist Hamas, have recently sent cautiously optimistic signals. Meanwhile, Israel continued its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has met with international criticism due to the many civilian casualties and the widespread destruction of homes and important infrastructure.
Cautious optimism among brokers
There has been "significant progress", said John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, on Tuesday (local time) in Washington on the mediation efforts. "But it's not all through yet. (...) The teams are working very, very hard, we believe we're getting closer (to an agreement)." A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry expressed similar sentiments: "We remain optimistic, even if there are no particular developments. Efforts are continuing and all sides are in constant contact with each other."
The previous day, US President Joe Biden had expressed his confidence that a six-week ceasefire could come into force before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. This particularly holy festive period for Muslims begins around March 10. "It's not about forcefully getting it done by Ramadan, it's about getting the two sides to finalize the deal," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, the contours of a possible agreement are becoming increasingly clear. During the six-week ceasefire, Hamas is to release almost 40 Israeli hostages in return for around 400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, the Israeli television station Channel 12 reported on Tuesday evening, citing government circles.
According to the plan, 7 Israeli civilian women will be exchanged for 21 Palestinian security prisoners. For 5 Israeli female soldiers, 90 Palestinian prisoners would be released, 15 of whom were convicted of serious terror attacks. 15 male hostages over the age of 50 would be exchanged for 90 other Palestinian prisoners, and 13 male hostages with serious illnesses or injuries would be exchanged for a further 156 Palestinian prisoners. In addition, 40 more Palestinians who were released in 2011 in an exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas, and have since been returned to Israeli custody, are to be released.
However, Israel remains pessimistic that a swift agreement will be reached, Channel 12 reported. Hamas, on the other hand, is sticking to its demand for a permanent ceasefire - as a spokesperson in Beirut emphasized on Monday - which Israel is unwilling to accept. The Jewish state would like to reserve the option of continuing the war in order to completely crush Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The mediating states, on the other hand, see a temporary ceasefire as an opportunity to reach a comprehensive peace solution in further negotiations.
Soon 30,000 dead in the Gaza war
The Gaza war was triggered by an unprecedented massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel on October 7. More than 1200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces expanded their deployment in the city of Gaza. With the support of the air force, ground troops took action against Hamas combat units and facilities of the Islamist terrorist militia in the Seitun district, the military announced on Tuesday. Among other things, the soldiers came across a weapons production facility, a weapons depot, rocket launching sites and military equipment. They also reportedly discovered a group of Hamas fighters in a tunnel entrance, whereupon they destroyed the shaft and killed the Hamas men. The information could not initially be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-controlled health authority reported that 96 Palestinians had been killed and a further 172 injured in the last 24 hours as a result of the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, 29,878 people have been killed and a further 70,215 injured. The figures, which also cannot be independently verified, make no distinction between civilians and armed fighters. However, the authority points out that a high proportion of the victims are women, minors and older men.
Military detains ambulance convoy for seven hours
The UN emergency aid office OCHA accused the Israeli military of holding up an ambulance convoy with 24 evacuated patients for seven hours. The military had forced all the patients who could walk and the paramedics out of the ambulances, reported OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke in Geneva on Tuesday. Among them were a pregnant woman and a mother with a newborn baby. The incident occurred on Sunday in front of the Al Amal Hospital in Chan Junis. The convoy was led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and had been duly registered and approved.
"This is not an isolated case," said Laerke. "Aid convoys are repeatedly shot at and systematically denied access to people in need." The Israeli army said on request that there were two paramedics in the convoy who had been arrested by the military for possible involvement in terrorist activities.
EU Commissioner wants funding for UNRWA aid organization
The EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, meanwhile urged continued funding for the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has come under criticism. "We must recognize the risk environment in which UNRWA operates and not resort to collective punishment or contribute to further humanitarian collapse in the Gaza Strip," said Lenarcic in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Germany and 15 other countries recently froze their payments to UNRWA. This followed Israeli allegations that some of the organization's employees were involved in the massacres in Israel on 7 October. The EU is working constructively with the aid organization to strengthen internal controls and check its staff, said Lenarcic.
German frigate shoots down Huthi drones
Meanwhile, the frigate "Hessen", which is deployed in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships, repelled an attack by the Huthi militia operating from Yemen for the first time. According to the German Press Agency, the ship, which is part of the EU military mission "Aspides", shot down two drones in quick succession on Tuesday evening. It was the first use of live weapons by the German Navy in the mission, which began on Friday and is considered the most dangerous naval mission in the history of the German Armed Forces. The Houthi militia, which is allied with Iran, wants to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip by firing on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
What will be important on Wednesday
Efforts to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war continue. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic.
©Keystone/SDA
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