Mediators push for Gaza truce amid conflict
‘Final formula’ sought as humanitarian situation worsens during fierce fighting
DOHA/GAZA — The US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators prepared a diplomatic push to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas on a “final formula” for a cease-fire after the Palestinian group responded to a proposal for an extended pause in fighting and hostage releases.
Hamas on Tuesday replied to a framework drawn up more than a week ago by the US and Israeli spy chiefs at a meeting in Paris with the Egyptians and Qataris.
According to a draft document, the Hamas counterproposal envisages three phases of a truce, lasting 45 days each, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Militants would exchange the remaining Israeli hostages they captured on Oct 7 for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged.
There was no immediate public response from Israel, which has said it will not pull its troops out of Gaza until Hamas is wiped out.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a lightning tour of the Middle East, said he would discuss the Hamas response with Israeli officials when he visits the country on Wednesday.
Qatar described the Hamas response as “positive” overall while Egyptian security sources told Reuters that Hamas showed flexibility.
“We will discuss all the details of the proposed framework with the concerned parties to reach an agreement on the final formula as soon as possible,” Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service, was quoted as saying.
A source close to the negotiations said the Hamas counterproposal did not require a guarantee of a permanent cease-fire at the outset, but that an end to the conflict would have to be agreed during the truce before the final hostages were freed.
“People are optimistic, at the same time they pray that this hope turns into a real agreement that will end the war,” Yamen Hamad, who lives in a UN school in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, told Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has told the US its position stands that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem, and Israeli “aggression” in Gaza stops, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Tuesday arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when he told Israel’s awaiting Foreign Minister Israel Katz: “My plan is to move the embassy to west Jerusalem.”
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday said it “strongly condemns” the announcement.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamasruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct 7.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israel’s military campaign, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.
Shortage of necessities
The conflict has sparked a humanitarian catastrophe that has brought shortages of the most basic necessities. Some of the hardest-hit are babies, young children and their parents, with diapers and formula either hard to find or spiking to unaffordable prices, leading parents to resort to inadequate or even unsafe alternatives.
Resident Zainab al-Zein was forced to make a desperate decision: Feed her infant daughter solid foods that her tiny body may not be able to digest or watch her starve because of a lack of baby formula in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Al-Zein chose to give 2 1/2-monthold Linda solids, knowing the choice could lead to health issues.
“I know we are doing something harmful to her, but there is nothing,” said al-Zein, feeding her wailing daughter crushed biscuits in the cold tent they now call home.
For Palestinians enduring increasingly dire conditions, the most basic of acts — such as changing a child’s diaper — have become a luxury that can require sacrifice.
“I sold my children’s food so I can buy diapers,” said Raafat Abu Wardeh, who has two children in diapers.
Meanwhile, UNICEF said aid deliveries into Gaza are not meeting the vast needs.
The agency estimates 20,000 infants up to 6 months old need formula, which UNICEF has been delivering along with necessities that have also included diapers and cash.