Hamas chief due in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire talks
The head of Hamas was due in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel said it was willing to agree to another pause in exchange for more hostages.
International pressure is mounting for a new truce that could ramp up aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, with the United Nations due to vote on calling for a ceasefire.
Hamas sources said Wednesday at least 11 people had been killed overnight in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.
Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was expected to lead a "highlevel" delegation to Egypt for talks with the country's spy chief and others on "stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners," a source close to the group told AFP.
Israel's leaders are facing growing calls to secure the release of 129 hostages they say are being held in Gaza and, on Tuesday, signaled a willingness to return to the negotiating table with Hamas.
Israeli President Issac Herzog said his country was "ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had recently sent his spy chief on two trips to Europe in an effort to "free our hostages."
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage on Tuesday it claimed showed two hostages alive in its custody in Gaza, ramping up pressure on Israel.
US news site Axios reported Monday that David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and CIA director Bill Burns in Europe to discuss a potential new deal to free hostages.
Axios also reported Tuesday that Israel had offered to pause the fighting in Gaza for at least one week in exchange for more than three dozen hostages held by Hamas.
Qatar, backed by Egypt and the United States, helped broker a weeklong truce and hostage-prisoner swap in November in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
‘On the brink’
The UN Security Council was set to vote Wednesday on a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict, three diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.
The latest version of the text calls for the "suspension" of hostilities, the sources said.
The US vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution in the council, sparking condemnation by Palestinian and humanitarian groups, which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.
The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the limited ability of aid groups to help.
"Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink," said Tor Wennesland, the UN'S special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.
Young Gazans are facing a perilous winter, with the UN children's agency warning that "child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments."
One of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Al-ahli, stopped operating after it was stormed and "put out of action" by Israeli forces, its director Fadel Naim told AFP.
Homes have been destroyed, forcing many into overcrowded shelters as they struggle to find cooking fuel, food, water and medical care. (Agence France Presse)