Cease-fire efforts pick up steam as U.S. envoy visits amid strikes
JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to gain new momentum Thursday as the White House said a visit by a senior envoy with Israeli leaders was “going well” and other mediators reported encouraging signs from the warring parties.
The new signs of progress came ahead of a summit this weekend in Paris, where mediators are expected to offer a new proposal. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been struggling for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza, but now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches.
White House Mideast envoy Brett Mcgurk held talks throughout the day with Israeli leaders and families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Spokesman John Kirby said the talks were constructive. “The initial indications we’re getting from Brett are these discussions are going well,” Kirby said.
A Western diplomat involved in the efforts said both sides want a pause. “What we have heard from our partners is that they are willing to give concessions,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy. “Time is pressing them.”
In new fighting, Israeli strikes killed over 70 people in southern and central Gaza, Palestinian health officials said Thursday.
Tensions were also rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where three Palestinian gunmen on Thursday opened fire on morning traffic at a highway checkpoint, killing one man and wounding five others, Israeli police said.
Israel declared war after Hamas militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. The Israeli offensive has left over 29,000
Palestinians dead, caused widespread destruction, displaced an estimated 80% of Gaza’s population and fueled a humanitarian disaster.
Roughly half of the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. About 100 hostages remain in captivity, in addition to the bodies of 30 others who were killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.
Israel is demanding the release of the remaining hostages as part of any pause but has vowed to press ahead with the offensive until Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are destroyed. Hamas wants an end to the war, a full withdrawal of troops and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners Israel is holding.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the Hamas demands as “delusional.” But in recent days, Israeli leaders have begun to voice cautious optimism and Hamas has signaled it is softening its demands.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Israel’s three-man War Cabinet, indicated some flexibility. “We will expand the authority given to our hostage negotiators,” he said.
At the same time, he warned that the Israeli army “is preparing the continuation of intense ground operations.”
Benny Gantz, who sits on the War Cabinet with Gallant and Netanyahu, has said that if there is no hostage deal,
Israel will launch a ground offensive into Gaza’s southernmost town, Rafah, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins around March 10.
A top Hamas official, meanwhile, voiced hope for “lots of breakthroughs” in the near future.
More than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is crowded into Rafah after fleeing fighting and bombardment elsewhere in the territory. Israel has said it will evacuate them before attacking. But it is not clear where they would go, with much of the rest of the tiny Mediterranean enclave consumed in combat.
The U.S. has urged Israel not to invade Rafah — believed to be Hamas’ last major stronghold — without a plan to protect civilians. Kirby said that Mcgurk was pressing the Israelis for details on their “thinking” about the operation.
The heads of 13 U.N. agencies and five other aid groups issued a joint plea for a ceasefire late Wednesday, warning that an attack on Rafah will bring “mass casualties” and could “deal a death blow” to the humanitarian operation bringing aid to Palestinians. Earlier this week, the World Food Program had to halt food deliveries to northern Gaza because of increasing chaos.
If outbreaks of infectious disease, already growing, become severe, they could ultimately cause more deaths than the offensive, a senior official with the World Health Organization said. “Infectious disease is a major concern for us in Gaza,” Richard Brennan, WHO’S regional emergency director, said at a briefing in Cairo.
The foreign ministers of 26 European countries on Thursday called for a pause in fighting leading to a longer cease-fire.
Both the Western diplomat and an Egyptian official said they have seen “encouraging” signs from Israel and Hamas.
The Egyptian official said Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. would craft a renewed proposal at the talks in Paris, expected on Friday or Saturday.
He said mediators managed to water down demands of both sides, including the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would release in return for women and elderly hostages during a preliminary six-week ceasefire. He said “the discussions are encouraging.”
He said another sticking point is whether displaced Palestinians could return to their homes in northern Gaza. He said Israel, which is still battling in areas of the north, was showing flexibility.
He also said both sides agreed to continue indirect negotiations for a permanent cease-fire – something Israeli officials in public have ruled out.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said the negotiations were focused on “our people.” He called for Palestinians to be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza and a “redeployment” of Israeli forces from residential areas.
“If this is achieved, things can move on an excellent and good way,” he said. “Therefore we say there might be lots of breakthroughs in the near future.”
Israeli media said the War Cabinet agreed late Thursday to send a delegation to the Paris talks. Thursday’s shooting came at a checkpoint on a West Bank highway where the gunmen opened fire on cars in the morning rush-hour traffic jam.