The Israeli war cabinet was briefed on a potential ceasefire agreement with Hamas after negotiations in Paris.
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu The ministers met late Saturday evening after Israeli envoys returned from a meeting with American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told US media that they had “reached an understanding” on the basic outlines of the agreement.
Details of the Military Cabinet discussions were not revealed, but Israeli media quoted unnamed officials and reported that a truce had been implicitly agreed to last several weeks.
This will be the second ceasefire after the ceasefire reached in November which saw the release of several hundred Palestinians from Israeli prisons and the release of about 100 hostages by Israel. agitation.
Netanyahu told CBS' Face The Nation that another cessation of fighting has not yet been reached, and that Hamas needs to make more concessions.
“They are on another planet,” he said. “But if they reach a reasonable situation, then yes we will have a hostage deal. I hope so.”
Palestinians inspect a destroyed car in Rafah. Photo: Reuters
Negotiators are intensifying their efforts in the hope of avoiding an Israeli ground attack on the south Gaza The city of Rafah, where more than a million displaced people live.
Aid groups warned of disaster and again urged Western governments to do so Israel Do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.
Netanyahu wrote on the X website that the Cabinet is set to approve “operational plans” for Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians, in the coming days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AP
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also visited Cairo this week to meet with Egyptian mediators.
Security sources in Egypt said that further talks with the participation of representatives of Israel and Hamas will be held in Qatar this week, although there is no official confirmation yet.
The pressure on Netanyahu to secure the release of hostages taken during the Hamas attack on Israel in October remains very high.
Thousands turned out for a vigil in Tel Aviv on Saturday – just a short distance from an anti-government protest where demonstrators clashed with police.
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People held another vigil for Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Demonstrators also took to the streets of the coastal city. Photo: Reuters
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack last year, while the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says 29,692 Palestinians were killed, two-thirds of them women and children.
Medics said at least 86 Palestinians were killed this weekend after more strikes. Israel said that two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Gaza.
