Hamas is demanding ‘additional compensation’ in exchange for taking 11 male hostages in the first phase of a possible ceasefire, reports claim.
The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ghad reported that in exchange for taking eleven male hostages, all of whom Hamas considers soldiers, the terror group is implicitly asking for the release of Palestinian prisoners who do not fall within the agreed categories.
Although this has not yet been officially confirmed, the Israeli newspaper reports Haaretz reported on Saturday that Israel has agreed to the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, although negotiations over who will be released have stalled.
Al-Ghad reported that Israel is asking for the release of 34 hostages, including the 11 men, in this first round, a possible ceasefire agreement.
Other issues under discussion include the possible reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and the possible withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Netzarim Corridor, a perpendicular line that bisects the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Hamas is asking for Gaza civilians to be allowed to return to the north of the Strip, as well as a gradual withdrawal of troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of Israeli-guarded land parallel to Gaza’s border with Gaza. Egypt.
As negotiations continue, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 16 people overnight, Palestinian medical officials said.
An attack on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City killed at least six people, including four children, according to first responders from the Civil Defense affiliated with the Hamas-led government. The Israeli army said it had carried out a precision strike on Hamas militants hiding there.
Hamas demands ‘additional compensation’ in exchange for taking 11 male hostages in the first phase of a possible ceasefire, reports claim
Protesters beat drums during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held since the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, outside the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on December 21, 2024
An attack on a house in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed at least eight people late Saturday evening, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
Another two people were killed in a strike in the southern city of Khan Younis just after midnight on Sunday, according to the nearby Nasser Hospital.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on these attacks.
Israel has continued to carry out daily attacks in Gaza more than fourteen months after the war with Hamas. It says it has only targeted militants accused of hiding among civilians, but the bombings often kill women and children.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed dead.
Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground invasion have killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.
The offensive has caused widespread destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, often several times. Hundreds of thousands are huddled in squalid tent camps along the coast as the cold, wet winter arrives.
Funeral prayers are held for the Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on December 22, 2024
Palestinians inspect damage at the site of an Israeli attack on a house, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, December 22, 2024
A youth searches for survivors at the site of an Israeli attack on the Abu Samra family home in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on December 22, 2024
Israel has been carrying out a major operation in northern Gaza since early October, fighting Hamas in the most isolated and heavily damaged part of the territory.
Tens of thousands have fled as the army ordered a complete evacuation and allowed virtually no humanitarian aid.
The Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in Gaza, known as Cogat, said it has facilitated the evacuation of more than 100 patients, caregivers and others from Kamal Adwan Hospital and Awda Hospital in the far north who are struggling to function.
Cogat said it had also facilitated the delivery of 5,000 liters of fuel and food parcels to the hospitals.