Fragile truce in Gaza holds as talks go on to extend cease-fire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — A fragile truce between Israel and Hamas held for a fifth day on Tuesday, and the militant group has promised to release more hostages to delay the expected resumption of the war as Israel came under pressure from the United States to better protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza if its offensive resumes.
Mediators met in Qatar to try to extend the ceasefire beyond Wednesday, and for the first time since it began, Israel and Hamas traded accusations of a serious violation with an exchange of fire between troops and militants in northern Gaza.
But there was no indication that it would endanger the truce or the planned exchanges of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Israel has vowed to resume the war with “full force” to destroy Hamas once it’s clear that no more hostages will be freed under the deal.
The Biden administration has told Israel it must avoid “significant further displacement” and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes the offensive, and that it must operate with more precision in southern Gaza than it has in the north, according to U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, who heads Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, were in
Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, to discuss extending the cease-fire and releasing more hostages, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity. A U.S. official confirmed Burns was in Qatar, speaking anonymously because the director’s travel plans are not publicized for security reasons.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region this week, also with an eye to extending the truce.
Hamas and other militants are still holding about 160 hostages out of the 240 seized in their Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel that ignited the war. Israel has said it is willing to extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages that Hamas releases, according to the deal brokered by the Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. But Hamas is expected to make much higher demands for the release of captive soldiers.
Israel has vowed to end Hamas’ 16-year rule in Gaza and crush its military capabilities. That would almost certainly require expanding the ground offensive from northern Gaza to the south, where most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is now crowded. It’s unclear where they would go if Israel expands its ground operation, as Egypt has refused to accept refugees and Israel has sealed its border.
Hostages and prisoners released
Monday’s release brought to 50 the number of Israelis freed under the terms of the initial four-day truce. An additional 19 hostages were released in separate negotiations, including 17 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli.
So far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons.
The Palestinian prisoners released so far have been mostly teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Some were convicted by Israeli courts of attempting to carry out deadly attacks. The prisoners are widely seen by Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation.
The freed hostages have mostly stayed out of the public eye, but details of their captivity have started to emerge.
In one of the first interviews with a freed hostage, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel’s Channel 13 television that she was initially fed well in captivity but that conditions worsened as shortages took hold. She said she was kept in a “suffocating” room and slept on plastic chairs with a sheet for nearly 50 days.
Israel imposed a siege on Gaza at the start of the war and only allowed a trickle of food, water, medicine and fuel to enter prior to the cease-fire, leading to widespread shortages and a territory-wide power blackout.
Tuesday’s exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in northern Gaza underscored the fragility of the truce, with the warring sides holding their positions in close proximity to each other. Each side accused the other of being the blame for the outbreak, but there was no further report of violence.