Fighting in Gaza dragged on into Friday with scores reported killed overnight, after mediator Qatar said Hamas had given its “initial” approval to a hostage-prisoner exchange deal that would pause its war with Israel.
Gaza health ministry said 105 people were killed overnight from Thursday to Friday, while Hamas’ press office reported raids and shelling around Khan Younis — southern Gaza’s main city and the recent epicentre of hostilities.
Nearly four months of fighting have rendered Gaza “uninhabitable”, according to the UN, while an Israeli siege has led to dire shortages of food, water, fuel and medicines.
The humanitarian crisis, coupled with soaring civilian casualties, has spurred increasing international calls for a ceasefire.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said Thursday that recent talks in Paris between Qatari, US, Israeli and Egyptian officials had yielded a consolidated truce proposal.
“That proposal has been approved by the Israeli side and now we have an initial positive confirmation from the Hamas side.”
Israeli forces conducted raids in the cities of West Bank including Jenin, Nablus and Hebron Friday night, Al Jazeera reported citing the Wafa news agency.
The online publication reported that armed clashes took place in the Jenin refugee camp, while the occupational forces raided homes in all three cities.
Local media also reported raids and arrests in Ramallah, east of Qaldilya and Bethlehem.
Israel prepared to advance its war on Gaza farther south, close to the Egyptian border, after claiming to have dismantled Hamas in Khan Younis, as diplomatic efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire accelerated.
Health officials in the besieged enclave said on Thursday the confirmed Palestinian death toll had risen above 27,000, with thousands more dead still lying under the rubble.
“We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant claimed in a statement.
A Palestinian official close to the negotiations told Reuters the text envisages a first phase of 40 days, during which fighting would cease while Hamas freed remaining civilians among the more than 100 captives it still holds. Further phases would see the handover of Israeli soldiers and bodies of dead captives.—Agencies
