Israel’s Netanyahu tells Knesset that ‘some progress’ has been made on Gaza deal. Israel-Palestine conflict news

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted to lawmakers that an agreement could be reached over the war on Gaza.

“I want to say cautiously that some progress has been made, and we will not take action until we bring them all home,” Netanyahu said in parliament on Monday, referring to Israeli detainees held in Gaza through October 2023. Won’t stop doing.”

He told the Knesset that he did not know how long it would take and could not give details, but that his administration was taking serious action to repatriate the detainees.

Talks about a possible ceasefire agreement have heated up in recent days as Israel and Hamas have held indirect talks in Doha brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also said progress had been made after meeting in Cairo on Saturday.

He said the chances of reaching an agreement were closer than ever, with Hamas saying in a statement that an agreement would be possible if Israel stopped imposing new conditions.

Several rounds of talks have taken place since the war began following an attack on Israel by Hamas and others on October 7, 2023, during which about 250 people were evacuated to the Gaza Strip and more than 1,100 were killed.

96 captives are believed to remain in the besieged area, including the bodies of 34 people who have been confirmed by the Israeli military.

Hamas released 105 civilians during a week-long ceasefire in late November, and four others were released before that, but there have been no talks since then, as Israeli forces continued their attacks on Gaza. Have intensified.

At least 45,317 Palestinians have been killed and 107,713 wounded by Israeli forces since the beginning of the war, with dozens killed in attacks in the enclave on a daily basis.

Israeli forces have maintained a heavy siege of northern Gaza for more than 80 days, where bombs and shelling have killed hundreds of people, as only 12 humanitarian aid trucks have been allowed through since early October.

Kamal Adwan Hospital, the largest health facility still partially operational in the north, has also come under daily attacks. Israeli forces detonated remote-controlled vehicles, injuring at least 20 patients and medical staff overnight. Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, hospital director, said the attacks were aimed at “killing and forcibly displacing” the hundreds of people inside.

Netanyahu brags about military achievements

During his speech on Monday, Netanyahu also said Israel had made “great achievements” militarily on several fronts and that military pressure had forced Hamas to soften its previous demands.

The Palestinian group had said it wanted Israeli forces to completely withdraw from the enclave, including the Philadelphia Corridor bordering Egypt and the Netzarim Corridor, established to separate Gaza’s northern and southern parts.

Hamas also requested increased humanitarian aid for the starving population and a bid to rebuild the enclave.

But Israel is signaling its intention to rebuild illegal settlements in Gaza, with a government coalition and far-right lawmakers last week formalizing legislation to allow freedom of presence and movement of Israeli citizens in the enclave. .

The attack on northern Gaza has been widely described as an attempt to “ethnically cleanse” Palestinians from their land.

The Israeli parliament on Tuesday added $9 billion to the country’s 2024 budget, with most of the money going to defense spending.

Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu is “moving towards a situation where he will have to accept an agreement very soon”.

“Sticking to his military strategy did not give him the political leverage he needed for the Israeli public,” he said.

The Israeli government is not able to formulate a political strategy that matches their perceived strength in the military field, which is based on support from the United States, he said.

He said, “It is unbelievable that despite the full power of the United States and Israel and some assistance from the United Kingdom and Germany and others, Hamas has not surrendered.”

“The Israelis are moving toward the point where they can politically accept the major requirements of Hamas, and in return they will get what they want, which is permanent security guarantees from the United States, subject to some such arrangements. “which could spread to the Arab region,” she said.

The Israeli prime minister has been repeatedly accused of sabotaging previous Gaza ceasefire talks, including by suddenly imposing new conditions and escalating military strikes.

Families of Gaza detainees, who are holding weekly protests in Israel, have also accused him of prioritizing his own political survival and his alliance with far-right lawmakers over the detainees.