Keystone-SDA
Far-right Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich strongly opposed Monday any agreement that would end the war in the Gaza Strip. This at a time when a truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas seems within reach.
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January 13, 2025 – 7:51 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) Faced with rumors of an imminent ceasefire agreement that would also allow the release of hostages held in the Palestinian territory, Mr. Smotrich said he would not support a “surrender agreement that would include the release of hyper-terrorists, the end of the war, and the loss of what was acquired at the cost of much bloodshed and the abandonment of a large number of hostages.
Indirect negotiations aimed at freeing the 94 hostages held in Gaza, 34 of whom died according to the army, and concluding a truce agreement with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, have intensified in recent days.
“Close to an agreement”
“We are close to an agreement and we can get there this week,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday, referring to discussions on a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I’m not making any promises or predictions, but it’s within reach,” he said of a deal that would include the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
“The positions have come together very significantly on the most important points,” added Jake Sullivan, Democratic President Joe Biden’s main diplomatic advisor.
He mentioned in particular the issue of “prisoner exchanges”, that of “the positioning of Israeli armed forces during the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip”, and “details on how to increase humanitarian aid once the arms will have fallen silent.”
Nothing since November 2023
Despite intense diplomatic efforts carried out under the aegis of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, no truce has been concluded since that of a week at the end of November 2023, which saw the release of ‘a hundred hostages.
Negotiations had already taken place in Doha in December, but Hamas and Israel had accused each other of stopping them.
According to Israeli commentators, an agreement is now within reach, in particular because of the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore pressure from his far-right ministers, members of his coalition, strengthened at the beginning of November by the rallying of Gideon Saar’s center-right party.
“Negotiations are progressing”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that Israel was working “hard” towards a truce accompanied by the release of the hostages.
-“Israel is serious about releasing the hostages and is working hard to reach an agreement. The negotiations are progressing,” he assured during a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart, Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
A senior Palestinian official close to Hamas also spoke of “significant progress” in the talks.
“The current round of negotiations is the most serious and in-depth and has made it possible to achieve significant progress,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said the draft agreement was being finalized to establish details of the number of hostages that would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners incarcerated by Israel.
The discussions also include the question of humanitarian aid to Gaza, he added.
Discussion Netanyahu-Biden
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden about “progress” in the negotiations.
“The Prime Minister discussed with the US President the progress in the negotiations for the release of our hostages and informed him of the mandate he gave to the negotiating team in Doha, aimed at advancing the release of the hostages “, his office said in a press release.
As Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 approaches, Joe Biden reported Thursday “real progress” in the negotiations. For his part, Donald Trump recently promised “hell” to the region if the hostages were not released before his return to power.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,210 people, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data. That day, 251 people were also kidnapped.
More than 46,500 people, mainly civilians, were killed in the Israeli military campaign of reprisals in Gaza, according to data from the Hamas Ministry of Health, deemed reliable by the UN.
Israel kills 50 more
On Monday, a series of Israeli strikes left more than 50 dead in Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian territory, local rescuers announced.
According to Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, these strikes targeted the territory’s largest city throughout the day, affecting “schools, homes and even gatherings.”
“There is no room in hospitals to accommodate the injured,” Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
