The United States has said it is time to “finalize” a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to bow to pressure.
Washington would work with mediators Egypt and Qatar “in the coming days” to “seek a final agreement,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
He spoke after Netanyahu rejected “concessions” in indirect negotiations with Hamas despite mounting domestic and international pressure following the Israeli army’s liberation of six slain hostages from the war-torn Palestinian territory.
This comes after the US also expressed frustration with Sir Keir Starmer over his government’s decision to restrict 30 of 350 arms sales to Israel.
John Kirby, Joe Biden’s national security communications adviser, said: “Each nation can speak for itself about how and to what extent they support Israel. We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to support Israel’s defensive capabilities.”
Thousands of Israelis gathered with banners around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence last night to protest
Netanyahu has rejected ‘concessions’ in indirect negotiations with Hamas despite growing domestic and international pressure
Israeli protesters are pushed back by plainclothes police officers during a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Defense last night.
The United States on Tuesday filed a series of “terrorism” and other charges against six Hamas leaders in connection with the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Among those charged in February were Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh, who was negotiating a ceasefire when he was killed in an attack blamed on Israel in July.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk called for an “independent, impartial and transparent investigation” into reports that six prisoners found dead in Gaza were summarily executed.
Despite mounting grief and anger among Israelis, who took to the streets to pressure the government and express concern over the fate of the hostages, Netanyahu said he would “not give in to pressure.”
The Israeli prime minister “has ruined our chances of making a deal with Hamas to get our hostages back alive,” Tel Aviv protester Jonathan Edan said Tuesday.
“The only thing he wants to survive is his political career and his coalition,” the 26-year-old told AFP.
Israel’s prime minister said Monday that “achieving the goals of the war” requires control of the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent Hamas from rearming.
Egypt on Tuesday rejected accusations that the Gaza border is being used to arm Hamas, accusing Netanyahu of “wanting to distract Israeli public opinion and obstruct the achievement of a ceasefire.”
Saudi Arabia supported Cairo and strongly condemned and criticized Israeli statements about the Philadelphia Corridor in a statement from the State Department.
Thousands of Israelis protested yesterday in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for not signing the ceasefire agreement with Gaza.
This comes as Israel is hit by a wave of mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his conduct of war since the Hamas terror attack last October.
Protesters set fires during a rally on the second day of demonstrations demanding a deal with Gaza on September 2, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel
US President Joe Biden answered “no” during a meeting with negotiators when asked whether he thought Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a hostage deal.
Hamas has long demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Egyptian officials have objected to the Israeli military presence on the border.
Britain increased pressure on Israel on Monday by announcing it would suspend arms exports, saying there was a “clear risk” the weapons could be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.
On Tuesday, the spokesman for the civil defense in Hamas-ruled Gaza said two people were killed and 30 wounded in an Israeli attack on a university.
The Israeli military said it had attacked “Hamas terrorists” at a university in Gaza City.
The Civil Protection Agency, witnesses and AFP correspondents also reported airstrikes and shelling in southern and central Gaza.
As Israeli forces continue to bombard Gaza, the military said on Wednesday it had “intercepted an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle approaching Israel from the east” of the country, which borders Jordan.
The soldiers also carried out a week-long assault on the occupied West Bank.
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the northern West Bank since August 28, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. The Israeli army reported that one soldier was killed in the “counterterrorism operations.”
Israeli forces have destroyed infrastructure and prevented access to medical personnel. According to the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, Israeli forces refused to reach the community in Jenin on Tuesday.
An Israeli protester carries a poster reading “Netanyahu’s Legacy” in Hebrew during a mass demonstration last night condemning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the hostages
Biden spoke to reporters as he left the White House Monday afternoon for a Labor Day event in Pittsburgh
An AFP journalist saw Palestinian doctors trying to get past Israeli troops to reach people trapped in the Jenin refugee camp, only to turn back.
“The situation is very catastrophic,” volunteer doctor Faraj al-Jundi said after being denied access.
“We tried to help where we could.”
Israel’s campaign against Hamas since Oct. 7 has killed at least 40,819 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The U.N. rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
According to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures, 1,205 people have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel, mostly civilians and including hostages killed in captivity.
Of the 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in the attack, 97 remain in Gaza, including 33 who the Israeli military says are dead. Dozens were freed during a week-long truce in November — the only one so far.
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, said on Monday that the remaining hostages would return “in coffins” if Israel maintained military pressure on the area.
Gaza lies in ruins and most of its 2.4 million inhabitants have fled, often seeking refuge in cramped and unsanitary conditions, which are spreading disease.
After the first confirmed case of polio in 25 years, a vaccination campaign began on Sunday amid local “humanitarian pauses” in fighting.
More than 161,000 children have now received a first vaccination in central Gaza, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, with the goal of fully vaccinating more than 640,000 children in total.