This news is likely to touch the hearts of the survivors: the Israeli government believes that more than a third of the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip are dead in the hands of the militant Palestinian organization. Meanwhile, pressure is increasing to reach a Gaza agreement.
Hamas took about 250 hostages in early October. Many were released in late November during a week-long ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. According to government figures, 120 remained in captivity. 43 of them were declared dead, it said on Tuesday.
The data was based on various sources, including intelligence information, television images and eyewitness videos, as well as forensic analyses.
The US is putting pressure on Israel
The international community no longer wants to see the bloodshed. The US wants to secure UN Security Council support for President Joe Biden’s plan for a deal to end the Gaza war.
On Monday, Israel’s most important ally presented a corresponding resolution. The G7 group demonstratively supported the peace plan to which Israel allegedly agreed. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response cast doubt on whether an agreement would be reached.
“The claim that we agreed to a ceasefire without our conditions being met is not true,” Netanyahu said on Monday of Biden’s move, his office said. A senior Israeli official told NBC News that Biden “did not accurately represent” Israel’s proposal.
The right-wing government remains stubborn
Netanyahu made it clear on Saturday that Israel’s conditions for an end to the war had not changed: the destruction of Hamas and the release of all hostages.
For weeks, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and a hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Friday, Biden surprisingly presented details of a three-phase draft deal.
Netanyahu’s right-wing religious coalition partners threaten to collapse the coalition if Israel agrees to the deal. Netanyahu said behind closed doors in parliament on Monday that the wording of the proposal would allow Israel to resume fighting if talks on a permanent ceasefire fail to progress at a later stage, the Wall Street Journal quoted an official.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
