“Israel has proposed a roadmap for a ceasefire to Hamas” in Gaza. She said it Joe Biden in a speech on the conflict in the Middle East.
“Israel has proposed to Hamas the withdrawal of all its troops from Gaza for six weeks”, Biden explained. “This is the time for Hamas to come to the negotiating table and accept the deal“. Joe Biden said this regarding Israel's proposal which provides for the withdrawal of forces, a complete ceasefire in prospect and the release of hostages. “It's time for this war to end”, added Biden.
The Israeli proposal, Biden explained, includes three phases: the first, of six weeks, provides for “a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a certain number of hostages including women, elderly, wounded in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners”. Palestinian civilians will be able to return to their homes and neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, including the north, the American president added, specifying that humanitarian aid will increase. Phase two provides for the definitive end and cessation of hostilities “based on the negotiations that will take place in phase one” and, finally, in phase three “a major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin”.
The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have published a video in which the voice of Noa Argamani, hostage kidnapped on October 7 at the Nova festival in Beeri. The family has asked that the video – whose date is unknown – not be released in Israel. “There is no need for any Hamas propaganda videos to support the call to the government of Israel: an agreement must be reached to bring the hostages home now,” the Abductees' Families Forum said.
On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, the long-awaited three-party meeting between Egypt, Israel and the United States could be held tomorrow in Cairo to agree on the reopening, in the following hours, of the Rafah crossing under the control of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, and the withdrawal of Israel from the border crossing. A high-level Egyptian security source told ANSA.
The source confirmed that they are underway “intense contacts between Egypt and Israel, with the mediation of the United States, to open the Rafah crossing and quickly deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza”. The objective is to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid, medical assistance and food and fuel for the Palestinian population in the shortest possible time, but also to unblock the reception of injured and sick Palestinians, foreigners and holders of dual nationality leaving Gaza towards Egypt.
The head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai, Khaled Zayed, announced that this morning the Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side and prepared and sent 250 trucks of humanitarian aid, including 4 fuel tankers, to the crossing of Kerem Shalom.
Netanyahu: “The war will not end until we eliminate Hamas”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the negotiating team to “present a scheme to achieve the release of the hostages.” This was announced by the prime minister's office, specifying however that “the war will not end until all the objectives set have been achieved, including the return of the hostages and the elimination of the militiamen and the Hamas government”. «The scheme proposed by Israel , including the conditional transition from one phase to another – it is added -, allows Israel to maintain these objectives”.
Israeli operations in the central part of Rafah
The IDF, for the first time, said it was operating in the central part of Rafah, in the south of the Strip. The military spokesperson made this known according to which in that area “Hamas rocket launchers, entrances to terror tunnels and weapons” were “located” and “a Hamas weapons depot was dismantled”. Furthermore – according to the same source – “numerous weapons” were located in the Rafah area. In addition to Rafah, the IDF said it was continuing to operate in Jabalya in the north of the Strip
The IDF announces that it has concluded its operations in Jabalya
The Israeli army has concluded its operations in Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, in what has been described as some of the most intense “close-in” fighting of the war in Gaza. The military spokesman made this known, adding an estimate of “500-600 Hamas operatives killed” in the battle. According to the same source, the tunnels built under Jabalya “reached up to 500 meters from the Israeli border and were built to enter” inside Israel. The spokesperson then explained that the IDF put into practice in Jabalya the “lessons learned while operating in Khan Yunis”, surrounding “the Hamas militiamen who were underground”. The tunnels – he continued – led the soldiers “to command centers, to large ammunition depots”. The information obtained “helped the army recover the bodies of seven Israelis kidnapped on October 7. Furthermore, the army announced the death of two other soldiers killed in combat in Gaza. The military spokesperson announced that they were reservist Adar Gavriel (24 years old) and Yonatan Elias (20 years old). start of ground operations in the Strip – thus rising to 294
Raid against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
During the night, the Israeli air force attacked four Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. This was announced by the military spokesperson, according to whom the attacks occurred in the areas of Aitaroun and Markaba. Two Hezbollah fighters have died in Israeli raids in southern Lebanon. The pro-Iranian Lebanese armed movement reported this in a statement released in the last few hours. The two fighters were killed in the Hula area, in the eastern sector of the Blue Line demarcation between the two countries following Israeli bombing. More than 300 Hezbollah militiamen have been declared killed since the start of the new round of war with Israel last October.