Potential ceasefire deal still at discussion stage, as U.S. President Joe Biden calls Hamas counterproposal “a little over the top.” Israel continues to bomb Rafah and Khan Younis in Gaza, as Israeli forces raid the West Bank, killing one teenager.
Casualties
- 27,708+ killed* and at least 67,147 wounded in the Gaza Strip.
- 380+ Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
- Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,147.
- 564 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7, and at least 3,221 injured.**
*This figure was confirmed by Gaza’s Ministry of Health on its Telegram channel. Some rights groups put the death toll number at more than 35,000 when accounting for those presumed dead.
** This figure is released by the Israeli military, showing the soldiers whose names “were allowed to be published.”
Key Developments
- A potential deal between Israel and Hamas could silence guns in the Gaza Strip for four and a half months, paving the way to a permanent ceasefire.
- Israel and Hamas propose to release children, women, elderly, and sick captives from both sides in the first stage of the truce.
- Hamas demands Israel to allow the entry of 500 aid trucks and fuel per day into the Gaza Strip, as well as 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents for two million displaced Palestinians.
- Hamas demands that Tel Aviv prevent Israeli settlers from storming Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. Hamas to name 500 Palestinian prisoners out of 1,500 Israel will release.
- The Israeli cabinet is deliberating Hamas counter-proposal, which at this stage is still a discussion paper.
- Israeli military spokesperson announces 31 out of 136 remaining Israeli captives have died inside the Gaza Strip.
- OCHA says Israeli forces issued evacuation orders to Palestinians which covers two-thirds of the Gaza Strip, or 246 square kilometres.
- Israeli bombing of a house in Jabalia refugee camp kills at least 20 members of the Al-Shanti family and injures 20 others.
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) elects Lebanon’s judge Nawaf Salam as president for a three-year term. ICJ elects as Vice President Ugandan judge Julia Sebutinde who voted against all measures to protect Palestinian lives in Gaza.
- Itochu, Japan’s trading giant, announces ending collaboration with Israel’s Elbit Systems defense company, citing ICJ ruling.
- Israeli forces kill Mohammad Saud Abdullah Al-Titi, 18, near the Beit Furik military checkpoint in Nablus.
- Hamas submit counter-proposal for truce in Gaza. A potential deal between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movements could silence the guns in the Gaza Strip for a period of four and half months, paving the way to a permanent ceasefire.
- Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the conflict. We look back at the four-month-old war in pictures.
- Read the Aric text here: https://t.co/muL67FDH8F
- Read the English text here: https://www.palestinechronicle.com/our-conditions-full-text-of-hamas-response-to-ceasefire-proposal/#:~:text=–%20Both%20parties%20will%20release%20Israeli,the%20date%20of%20signing%20this
- Israel Weighs Hamas’s Response to Proposed Hostage, Cease-Fire DealIsraeli officials are studying ( NYT) Palestinian militant group Hamas’s response to a proposed deal on a hostage release and cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s intelligence agency said yesterday. Hamas has countered with a proposal ( Times of Israel) for a three-phase hostage release and 135-day truce, according to reports in media outlets including Reuters. The proposal also reportedly includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today as Israel considers its position. Israeli officials have repeatedly pushed back in the past against the prospect of a permanent end to the war. Still, they are under pressure from the families of hostages held by Hamas to reach an agreement on the hostages’ return. U.S. President Joe Biden said yesterday that Hamas’s demands were “a little over the top,” but that talks are ongoing.
- Analysis“The pause, if it happens, may be Mr. Netanyahu’s moment of truth. His far-right cabinet members reject a long truce. But pragmatic members of the smaller war cabinet, among them the former defense minister, Benny Gantz, demand that priority be given to freeing the hostages, even if it means accepting a long or permanent cease-fire,” the Economist writes. “Israel is in dire danger of ignoring one of the most enduring lessons of counterinsurgency: Namely, victory requires not just tactical military success but a viable political end-state,” CFR expert Max Boot writes for the Washington Post.
Israel’s Genocide Crime in Gaza Continues
Hamas has responded to a significant ceasefire proposal that could free hostages in Gaza, officials in Qatar and the group said yesterday, although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned that there is still “a lot of work to be done.” The Qatari Prime Minister offered a more positive assessment, saying, “We are optimistic.” Hamas confirmed that it had responded to the proposal, saying it had dealt with the framework “positively,” but reaffirmed earlier demands for a permanent cease-fire, reconstruction of Gaza, an end to the blockade, and the release of Palestinian prisoners – conditions Israel rejects. An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggested that Israel was dissatisfied with Hamas’s counterproposal. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Adam Rasgon and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times.
Hamas’s counterproposal has been published in Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper. A Hamas Official and two Egyptian officials confirmed its authenticity. The proposal lays out a three-phase plan to unfold over four and a half months whereby hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including senior militants, and an end to the war. The proposal would effectively allow Hamas to retain power in Gaza and rebuild its military capabilities, a scenario that Israel has rejected. Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy report for the Washington Post.
President Biden said yesterday that Hamas’s counter-demands in response to the most recent hostage deal proposal “seems to be a little over the top.”
Israel has confirmed the deaths of 31 hostages held in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7. The conclusion comes from a confidential assessment reviewed by the New York Times. The hostages have become a flashpoint for internal debate within Israel, with tensions building recently as negotiations for another ceasefire have accelerated. Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley for the New York Times.
Saudi Arabia will have no diplomatic relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, Riyadh said today, apparently in response to White House spokesperson John Kirby’s remarksyesterday saying that the issues of hostage release and Israel-Saudi normalization were “separate track[s].” “The Kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding another condition would be that “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip.” Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Argentinian President Havir Milei promised to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem after arriving in Israel yesterday to start his first state visit as president. “I come to support Israel against the Hamas terrorists,” Mr. Milei said to Israel’s foreign minister, Yisrael Katz, at the airport in Tel Aviv. “I plan to move the embassy to West Jerusalem.” Milei’s declaration drew praise from the Israeli government. Jack Nicas and Lucía Cholakian Herrera for New York Times.
U.S. RESPONSE
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday rejected a Republican-led bill to provide $17.6 billion to Israel. The bill garnered 250 to 180 votes, short of the two-thirds majority required. The standalone bill would have provided Israel $17.6 billion in military aid, which is strongly supported by most lawmakers in both parties. However, opponents called the legislation a political ploy to distract from their opposition to a $118 billion Senate bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration policy and fund border security while providing billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine and Israel. The Guardian reports.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
The Pentagon reported there have been 146 U.S. casualties – most of which were non-serious injuries – in Iran-backed attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since last October. “Of those 146 casualties, three were killed in action, two sustained very serious injuries, nine had serious injuries, and 132 had non-serious injuries,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen said Tuesday. Haley Britzky reports for CNN.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH HOUTHIS
Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have successfully targeted a U.S. and a British ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of U.S.-U.K. airstrikes on Houthi missile sites in Yemen. A third ship was targeted yesterday afternoon but was not struck, suggesting Houthi capabilities may have been degraded by recent U.S.-U.K. strikes. Patrick Wintour reports for the Guardian.
The Houthis yesterday fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward commercial vessels, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). One missile caused minor damage to the MV Star Nasia, a Marshall Island-flagged Greek carrier, CENTCOM said. No injuries were reported. Rashard Rose for CNN.
Saudi FM: ‘No diplomatic relations with Israel’ without independent Palestinian state
Saudi Arabia has affirmed to the US that “there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem”, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday, citing the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry.
It also said there would be no diplomatic relations until Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraws from Gaza.
The statement read: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that regarding the discussions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America on the Arab-Israeli peace process, and in light of what has been attributed to the US National Security Spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been steadfast on the Palestinian issue and the necessity that the brotherly Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights.”
Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Kingdom’s position has been and remains consistent regarding the Palestinian issue and the need for the brotherly Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights. Read the full English text here. The full Arabic text here
Six Messages from Hamas to the Media
As talks of a new, prolonged ceasefire echo against the backdrop of still-raging hostilities in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement has shared a document outlining six priority areas in its messaging to international media. The six-page, Arabic-language document, received by Newsweekon Tuesday, breaks down these points to offer an insight into how the group is vying to win over audiences around the world as a conflict now approaching the four-month mark potentially nears a new phase. The first point described by the document is the “the continued brutal bombing of citizens’ homes in various different areas of the Gaza Strip, and the siege of Nasser Hospital.” Here, the group accuses the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of ramping up the bombardment of various non-military sites across Gaza, including civilian homes, medical facilities and sites used by United Nations workers. The IDF, for its part, has repeatedly rejected allegations that it targeted non-combatants and has accused Hamas and allied Palestinian factions of embedding themselves among the civilian population in Gaza, even using human shields. Hamas has vehemently denied this. The second point raised by Hamas is the “humanitarian situation, the worsening famine in the northern regions and the catastrophic situation facing the displaced.” In this regard, Hamas discusses the increasingly difficult living conditions that Gaza’s roughly 2.2 million residents are facing in the throes of the deadliest-ever flare-up of the decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the IDF and Hamas have accused one another of being the primary cause behind the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, both sides have acknowledged that things are getting worse. A number of international organizations, including the U.N., and foreign powers, even Israel’s ally, the U.S., agree. A key component of the last successful, weeklong ceasefire reached in late November and any potential new deal on the table would be securing more aid for Gaza, including food, water, medicine and fuel. But the terms of this assistance remain contested. The third key area for Hamas is “the [battle]field situation and the heroic Al-Qassam response, on the fighting fronts, especially Khan Younis, west of Gaza City.” The group here sought to stress that its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and allied Palestinian factions were still very much in the fight despite IDF advances across Gaza, and that they continued to inflict serious casualties against their foe, both in terms of human and material losses. Perhaps unsurprisingly, as in many conflicts across the globe, assessments of how the war is actually going vary dramatically between the two sides. The Hamas-led October 7 surprise attack that sparked the conflict marked a major blow to Israel’s image of an advanced, impregnable security state, an image already marred by worsening internal clashes that had mounted for the past year and a half. But having completed the arduous task of re-securing border areas in the south, the IDF managed to bring the war to Gaza itself, threatening Hamas’ own grip on power. Now, as the conflict continues to drag on, uncertainty reigns over how Israel will ultimately complete its stated goal of defeating the group once and for all and what that means for Hamas’ own future. The fourth point put forward by Hamas was “discussions to stop the aggression against Gaza and Zionist intransigence.” This section directly addresses the ongoing effort to establish a new ceasefire but warns against any “hostile” reports that blame Hamas for obstructing talks toward an immediate, lasting cessation of hostilities. Instead, it holds Israel responsible for standing in the way of a new deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated on a number of occasions that he fully intends to press on with the war until victory. That being said, ongoing discussions, mediated by Qatar, indicate a willingness from both sides to find at least a temporary solution to halt the conflict. The final two points mentioned by Hamas focus outside of Gaza and instead on other fronts in which violence has mounted as a direct result of the conflict. The fifth section, entitled “Crimes of the occupation in the West Bank, and the call of its people for an intifada in the face of the occupation and its settlers,” draws attention to a spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence in the West Bank, which is partially administered by the Palestinian National Authority (PA) but is mostly subject to Israeli control. Hamas amplifies long-seething frustration among Palestinians living in the West Bank, some of whom have formed independent armed factions opposed to both Israel and the PA, and the growing threat of a new intifada, or uprising. While the U.S. has fully backed Israel’s war effort, though not without calls for the IDF to do more to avoid civilian casualties, the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has proven a growing source of contention. President Joe Biden’s decision last week to issue sanctions against four settlers accused of stoking violence against Palestinians marked a public acknowledgment of this issue, though it fell short of taking action against Israeli officials openly backing settlers. The sixth point issued by Hamas touches upon an even further, yet potentially more volatile front, that of “American [air] raids against Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and the continued targeting of the occupation’s interests and its supporters in the region.” Here the group praises campaigns led by two other Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” factions, Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iraqi militias, and condemns intensifying U.S.-led military operations against them. Ansar Allah’s drone and missile campaign against commercial vessels transiting critical trade routes off the coast of Yemen, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq’s near-daily drone and rocket attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, have drawn the U.S. deeper into the conflict, threatening to ignite the very kind of broader war that both Washington and Tehran have said they sought to avoid. Both factions have said they would halt their respective campaigns should Israel end its offensive in Gaza. It remains to be seen whether even a new ceasefire deal, especially a limited and temporary one, would be enough to extinguish the flames now raging across the Middle East because of the war.