JERUSALEM/GAZA, Dec 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – Israel announced yesterday, its determination to continue its military operations in the Gaza Strip, effectively rejecting Hamas’ statement that, the release of hostages would only occur, if Israel agrees to end the war.
Despite ongoing ceasefire talks, the deadly conflict between the two parties escalated yesterday, with heavy explosions heard and huge black plumes in Gaza visible from the Israeli side of the fence during the day.
At night, huge orange flashes were seen in Gaza City, as the Israeli army said, it destroyed a key network of tunnels under the neighbourhood of Rimal.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said in a press briefing that, over the past day, Israeli forces “have operated from the air, sea, and land throughout the Gaza Strip.”
He said, since the beginning of the war on Oct 7, the forces have killed more than 2,000 militants.
In the early afternoon, Hamas fired about 30 rockets at the Zionist city, Tel Aviv, and other cities in central Israel, indicating the group’s retained capability, despite the 76-day Israeli relentless strikes.
A senior Israeli official told reporters in a briefing that, Israeli negotiators have met with Qatari mediators, expressing their “willingness to reach a new deal.”
Israel insists on continuing the previous ceasefire deal, focusing on the release of 17 women and children, who were supposed to be freed during the truce in late Nov, according to the official.
In the meantime, an unnamed Palestinian source told Xinhua that, Israel proposed the release of around 40 Israeli hostages through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, in exchange for a one-week ceasefire.
Later, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that, Israel is considering “improving” its offer to Hamas by extending the proposed ceasefire period to two weeks.
Hamas spokesman, Abu Ubaida, declared in a statement that, the hostages held by the group would be released, only if Israel “stops the aggression and the war.”
This statement echoed an earlier announcement by Osama Hamdan, a Hamas politburo member, who asserted that, “all parties” in the talks had been informed that there would be “no negotiation” for hostage release unless Israel ends its strikes in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected these statements, vowing that Israel “will not stop the war until we achieve all of its goals: Completing the elimination of Hamas and releasing all of our hostages.”
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a humanitarian organisation backed by the United Nations, issued a new report yesterday, warning that, Gaza’s entire 2.3 million population is at risk of famine, due to the shortage of food caused by the Israeli siege.
The risk of famine “is increasing each day that the current situation of intense hostilities and restricted humanitarian access persists or worsens,” the report read.
The World Health Organisation stated that, there are no fully functioning hospitals left in Gaza. Due to Israeli strikes, 23 hospitals in Gaza are entirely non-functional, nine are partially functioning, and four are operating at minimum capacity, according to the WHO.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry said that, the Palestinian death toll from the relentless Israeli bombardments had reached over 20,000, with most of them women and children.– NNN-XINHUA