Israel sends intelligence chiefs to negotiations. Western ambassadors call for ceasefire. All developments in the news blog.
14:01: According to his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak to US presidential candidate Donald Trump about the war in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. In a statement, this contradicts a media report. The news portal “Axios” had reported, citing two US people familiar with the matter, that Trump and Netanyahu had discussed the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and a possible ceasefire.
The Trump campaign team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Further meetings between Egypt, the US and Qatar are scheduled for Thursday to explore the chances of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
13:14: The Islamist Hamas says it will not negotiate any new conditions for a ceasefire or the release of hostages. The new Gaza talks in Qatar should only be about the implementation of the peace plan already presented by US President Joe Biden, not about its details, the German Press Agency learned from circles within the group. They will “no longer accept any more tactics”, they made that clear to the mediators. They will only let the mediators inform them about the talks in Doha if they can see “serious intentions” on Israel’s part.
The important round of negotiations in Qatar on a possible ceasefire in the Gaza war was due to begin on Thursday. Depending on how the negotiations progress, it is possible that the talks will continue on Friday, the dpa learned from people familiar with the talks. Hamas, which is not taking part, is also to be “continuously” informed in Doha about the progress of the talks.
11.08 am: According to media reports, Israel is demanding the release of 33 living hostages held by Hamas in the first phase of the Gaza talks in Doha. Israeli representatives have named a list of names as a condition for an agreement, reports the Israeli newspaper “Yediot Achronot” citing Israeli officials involved in the negotiations. Israel does not want to find itself in a situation “in which Hamas mainly hands over corpses”.
According to media reports, the 33 hostages are humanitarian cases, including women and children as well as elderly and sick people. Female soldiers are also among them.
According to Israeli figures, Hamas still has 115 hostages in its power, of which Israel has declared 41 dead. In addition, other hostages whose fate is unknown are probably no longer alive. The New York Times reported a good three months ago that the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas had informed negotiators that there were dead people among the 33 hostages who could be released in a first step.
4.10 am: Israeli soldiers are reportedly using Palestinian civilians as human shields in the Gaza Strip to enter tunnels and buildings that they suspect are booby-trapped, according to an Israeli non-governmental organization and the newspaper Haaretz. The practice is so widespread among the various units fighting in the Gaza Strip that it can practically be considered “protocol,” said Nadav Weiman, the executive director of Breaking the Silence, a group founded by Israeli war veterans to document military abuses.
Both the organization and “Haaretz” have collected statements from those affected. The Israeli military leadership knows about it, the report said. The Palestinians have to go into tunnels and houses with a camera in front of their chest and their hands tied. After a mission they are released. The IDF stated that the use of human shields is prohibited, that the orders to the troops on the ground have been “clarified” and that the allegations reported by “Haaretz” are being investigated.
2.10 am: According to a media report, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Gaza Strip. As the news portal “Axios” reports, citing two people familiar with the matter, the focus of the conversation was the release of hostages and a possible ceasefire. Further details on the content of the conversation are not yet known. There is no official confirmation of the phone call yet.
