JERUSALEM: Even as Israel bombed the Gaza Strip on Sunday, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv had accepted a framework accord proposed by US President Joe Biden to end the war.
The death toll among Palestinians increased to 36,439 after 60 deaths in the last day, according to the health ministry in Gaza. According to a statement, since October 2023, 82,627 persons have suffered injuries in the Gaza Strip.
Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s main foreign policy advisor, described Biden’s plan as “a deal we agreed to” in an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times. He said that while it’s not a great deal, Israel fervently sought the release of all the inmates.
“Many details need to be worked out,” he stated, stressing that Israeli demands remained unchanged, including the release of prisoners and the dismantling of Hamas.
Over the previous few months, Biden has praised multiple ceasefire offers, all of which had foundations that were similar to the one he presented on Friday but ultimately failed.
The main source of contention has been Israel’s position that it will only talk about short-term ceasefires until Hamas is eliminated. With no intention of relenting, Hamas claims it will only release the detainees in exchange for a clear route to the war’s ultimate termination.
According to the UAE’s official news agency, the president of the United Arab Emirates and the emir of Qatar spoke about Biden’s proposal for Gaza.
Mediators on Saturday stated that they “call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden.” These parties include the US, Qatar, and Egypt.
For the time being, Hamas has praised the Biden proposal.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera on Saturday, “We want this to materialize within the framework of a comprehensive agreement that meets our demands. Biden’s speech included positive ideas.”
Hamas demands the unconditional cessation of the Gaza offensive, the evacuation of all occupying forces, Palestinian freedom of movement, and reconstruction assistance.
In addition, Netanyahu has received political support from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid if the government strikes a deal.
Other Israeli officials, however, have condemned it as essentially going back to what existed prior to October 7, when Hamas controlled Gaza.
Israel’s defense minister declared that the country was looking for alternatives to the Islamist organization and that it would not permit Hamas to remain in control of Gaza at any point during the process of ending the conflict.
In a statement, Yoav Gallant said, “The defense establishment is simultaneously assessing a governing alternative to Hamas while we conduct our important military actions.”
“We are going to isolate certain areas in Gaza, expunge Hamas personnel from these areas, and deploy forces that will facilitate the formation of a rival government that poses a threat to Hamas,” declared Gallant.
furious conflicts
Gaza was rocked by deadly violence on Sunday and into the night, as the Israeli military reported fresh ground and aerial conflict.
The Israeli military declared that it had attacked 30 targets, including weapons storage facilities, throughout Gaza in the last 24 hours.
In far-southern Rafah, where Israel dispatched tanks and troops in early May despite worries for displaced residents taking refuge in the city, fierce fighting has broken out.
After at least a million civilians left the city that was providing shelter to 1.4 million people until last month, the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, announced on Sunday that all 36 of its shelters in Rafah “are now empty.”
UNRWA stated that “the humanitarian space continues to shrink” and that over 1.7 million Palestinians were currently seeking refuge in central and southern Gaza, as well as in Khan Yunis, the region’s largest city.
According to witnesses, artillery bombardment was directed towards the southern Brazil neighborhood on Sunday, while Israeli Apache assault helicopters opened fire on targets in central Rafah and a plane launched a missile at a residence in the western Tal al-Sultan district.
