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By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised households of hostages held in Gaza {that a} deal that may safe their launch may very well be close to, his workplace mentioned on Tuesday, as preventing raged within the battered Palestinian enclave.
Israeli forces pressed on with a brand new raid into Gaza’s southern space of Khan Younis after ordering civilians to evacuate some districts they mentioned had been used for renewed assaults by Palestinian militants.
Hundreds of individuals had been fleeing for safer areas as Israeli airstrikes hit, U.N. officers mentioned.
Netanyahu is at the moment in Washington and is predicted to satisfy U.S. President Joe Biden later this week after making an tackle to Congress.
Talking within the U.S. capital on Monday to households of hostages, he mentioned: “The situations (for a deal) are undoubtedly ripening. This can be a good signal.”
Efforts to succeed in a ceasefire within the warfare between Israel and Hamas, outlined by Biden in Might and mediated by Egypt and Qatar, have gained momentum over the previous month.
“Sadly, it won’t happen all of sudden; there might be phases. Nonetheless, I imagine that we will advance the deal and depart us in possession of the leverage to carry concerning the launch of the others (hostages not freed in first stage),” Netanyahu mentioned.
Ruby Chen, the daddy of twin U.S.-Israeli citizen Itai Chen, a soldier whose physique is being held in Gaza, was one of many members of the family who met with Netanyahu.
“He did say that situations had been ripening however I am taking that with a pinch of salt,” Chen advised Israeli Military Radio.
Chen mentioned he hoped Biden, who on Sunday withdrew his bid for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris because the Democratic candidate in November’s U.S. election, would apply extra strain on Netanyahu to safe the deal.
A Palestinian official near the mediation effort accused Netanyahu of stalling.
“Hamas has proven the pliability wanted for an settlement to be reached and the ball is in his court docket,” the official mentioned.
An Israeli negotiation staff was due on Thursday to renew talks that would come with hostages being launched in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In a week-long truce in November, 105 hostages had been freed in return for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
The hostages had been seized within the Hamas raid into southern Israel on Oct. 7 wherein about 1,200 folks had been killed and round and 250 taken captive, in keeping with Israeli tallies.
Hamas and different militants are nonetheless holding 120 hostages, round a 3rd of whom have been declared useless in absentia by Israeli authorities.
The demise toll amongst Palestinians in Israel’s retaliatory offensive since then has reached greater than 39,000, in keeping with Gaza well being authorities within the Hamas-run enclave. A whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals have been displaced and far of the enclave laid to waste by airstrikes and artillery bombardments.
FEAR AND DISPLACEMENT
In Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli air raids hit the southern metropolis of Khan Younis as Israeli troops and Palestinian militants fought in its shattered streets, forcing civilians to flee.
“Hundreds of individuals on the transfer once more, fleeing strikes & navy operations. The state of affairs is inconceivable. The cycle of worry & displacement has gone on too lengthy. Everyone seems to be exhausted,” the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee company UNRWA mentioned on X.
The Israeli navy mentioned dozens of militants had been killed in Khan Younis by its tanks and warplanes or in close-quarter fight. Weapon caches and tunnels utilized by the militants had been destroyed, it mentioned.
Palestinian medics mentioned one particular person was killed in an Israeli airstrike within the space on Tuesday, after dozens had been reported killed by Israeli assaults there on Monday. Gaza’s well being ministry doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Well being officers have mentioned most these killed have been civilians.
Additional north, in Gaza Metropolis, Israeli bombing killed 16 folks, medics mentioned.
In Rafah, subsequent to the border with Egypt the place Israel has mentioned it was stamping out Hamas’ final items, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians.
Hamas mentioned its fighters had been combating Israeli troopers in Rafah. Residents mentioned tanks have operated in many of the metropolis, however have but to realize full management of the northern and western areas.
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