According to Israeli media, the Israeli military chief claimed that “a deal was on the table” to free the prisoners held in Gaza and that the military offensive to seize Gaza City would “present a great danger” to the lives of captives.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir was cited as saying “Now it’s in Netanyahu’s hands” during his Sunday visit to the Haifa naval base by Israel’s Channel 13 news.
Zamir claimed that the army’s offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and “created the conditions” for a holdout agreement with Hamas.
According to an official statement from the Israeli military and reported by Israeli media, “We created the conditions for the release of the hostages.”
The comments come as Qatar and Egypt’s security cabinet is scheduled to discuss the most recent truce proposal at a Tuesday meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a protest calling on him to end the conflict and bring the captives back.
Hamas announced last week that it had accepted the new recommendations, which call for a 60-day temporary stop to military operations, during which time Palestinian prisoners would be exchanged for Israeli prisoners.
Despite a UN-backed body declaring famine in Gaza last week due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of food items, Israel has continued to pursue its plan to seize the city’s nearly one million-home neighborhood.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), close to 514, 000 people are experiencing famine, with the number expected to rise to 641, 000 by the end of September.
In the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that two children among the 11 have died from malnutrition. That brings the total number of deaths in Gaza from hunger and malnutrition to 300, with 117 children among them.
Five journalists, including Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama, were killed when Israel bombed a hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Monday, in addition to the injured Al Jazeera journalists. The attack, which has sparked outrage and condemnation, included 20 rescue workers.
Source: Aljazeera
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