Hope for ceasefire in Gaza war and release of hostages
Published: Sunday, Jan 28th 2024, 16:30
Updated At: Sunday, Jan 28th 2024, 16:31
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After almost four months of war in Gaza, there is new hope for a longer ceasefire and the release of dozens of hostages. A draft text from the US government based on proposals from Israel and the Islamist Hamas was to be discussed in Paris on Sunday. This was reported by the "New York Times" with reference to US government circles. According to the plan, the Palestinian extremists are to release more than 100 hostages in return for Israel halting its military operation in the Gaza Strip for around two months. The alleged involvement of United Nations staff in the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 also caused outrage.
During a seven-day ceasefire in November, Israeli children and women held captive were exchanged for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. However, just over 130 people are said to still be held by the terrorists - mainly men and soldiers. But two children, 18 women and a 13-year-old girl are also said to be among them, as well as several Germans.
Now there could be new movement with the talks in Paris: According to the "New York Times", CIA intelligence chief William Burns wants to meet with representatives of Israel, Egypt and Qatar there. According to the draft, in a first phase the fighting is to be paused for 30 days. During this time, Hamas should release female, elderly and injured hostages. At the same time, both sides would negotiate a second phase in which Israeli men and soldiers taken hostage would be released in return for a further 30-day ceasefire.
The negotiators are "cautiously optimistic", according to the report. However, according to the report, it is still unclear how many imprisoned Palestinians Israel would have to release to achieve this. However, according to Israeli media, unnamed Israeli representatives also clearly dampened expectations. According to them, it is only a question of whether there is any basis at all for the start of negotiations.
UN loses important donors for Gaza aid
Following serious allegations against employees of the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Germany and eight other countries have announced that they will suspend their payments to the organization for the time being. The reason: twelve of the several thousand UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip are suspected of being involved in the Hamas attack on October 7. The organization immediately dismissed the suspected employees. An estimated 1200 people were killed in the massacre at the time, and the terrorists abducted around 240 people in the Gaza Strip.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his horror and announced swift consequences. Nine of the twelve accused had been identified and dismissed. One employee has been declared dead. The identity of the other two is still being clarified. Every UN employee involved in acts of terrorism would be held accountable and prosecuted.
At the same time, however, Guterres criticized the freeze on payments by nine states, including the UK, Canada and the USA. UNRWA's current funds were not sufficient to support the two million civilians in the Gaza Strip in February. The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini from Switzerland, also warned of a "collapse" in humanitarian aid.
Founded in 1949, the aid organization has more than 30,000 employees, most of whom are Palestinians, and is financed almost exclusively by donations from UN member states. According to its own information, it runs shelters for more than one million people and provides food and basic medical care. In addition to the Palestinian territories, UNRWA is also active in Jordan and Lebanon, for example.
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy accused UNRWA of now being a "front for Hamas". "It is literally covering up for Hamas."
The Federal Foreign Office and the Development Ministry in Berlin stated that there were currently no new commitments to UNRWA anyway. At the same time, the ministries emphasized that aid in the crisis is continuing: just a few days ago, funding for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Children's Fund, Unicef, was increased by seven million euros.
Heavy fighting continues in the south of the Gaza Strip
Despite the mediation talks planned in Paris, fierce fighting continued in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army on Sunday, there was once again "intense fighting", particularly in the area of Chan Junis in the south of the bombed-out coastal region. A number of terrorists had been eliminated and large quantities of weapons had been found.
In the face of massive Israeli attacks, thousands of civilians have fled from the area of Chan Junis towards Rafah on the border with Egypt. Aid organizations repeatedly warn of a famine in the blockaded area.
According to the "Wall Street Journal" newspaper, 60 to 80 percent of the underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip are probably still intact. The network is estimated to be more than 480 kilometers long. Israel suspects that the Hamas leadership is hiding in the southern tunnel network. It is also likely that they are holding hostages there.
At least 165 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. Around 290 others were injured, it was reported on Sunday. This brings the number of people killed since the start of the war on October 7 to at least 26,422. More than 65,000 others have been injured. The figures could not initially be independently verified.
According to a spokesperson for the health authorities, many of the dead are still buried under rubble or lying in the streets. Rescuers and civil defense are often unable to reach them because of the fighting.
©Keystone/SDA
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