Hamas Seeks Key Changes to Ceasefire Plan

Regarding a ceasefire proposal for Gaza mediated by the United States, Hamas has responded favorably to mediators, indicating that it is willing to start indirect talks with Israel through mediators in Qatar and Egypt. A U.S. assurance that Israel’s bombardment won’t resume if the ceasefire expires without a permanent truce is one of the significant changes the group has demanded. Hamas also calls for the UN-backed humanitarian aid system to resume and Israeli troops to leave areas of Gaza. Israel and the United States, which have historically been hesitant to accept such demands, did not immediately respond. Although an official response has been postponed in Israel due to the Jewish Sabbath, right-wing politicians, including at least two government ministers, may reject Hamas’s demands in favor of a halt to all aid and more intense military action.

Intensified Israeli Airstrikes Claim Lives

The ceasefire negotiations take place as violence in Gaza escalates. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 130 Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours, and 70 more were killed by Israeli military bombardment the day before. Israeli airstrikes have increased throughout the Gaza Strip, even in supposedly safe areas like Alawasi, where locals have been told to seek shelter. The death toll reportedly increased overnight when an Alawasi airstrike killed a well-known Gazan physician and his family. Even as ceasefire talks move forward, hospitals are overrun with injuries as the situation deteriorates.

Attack on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Workers

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States, has come under heavy fire for running four aid distribution centers. While the group claims to have been attacked, others allege that GHF members have opened fire on Palestinian civilians at these facilities. A grenade was thrown at one of GHF’s distribution centers this morning, causing minor injuries to two American aid workers. Due to the incident’s emphasis on the risks associated with aid distribution, Gaza, the UN, and its agencies have called for a change in the way aid is delivered from the controversial GHF operations to 400 UN-managed centers throughout the region.