Israel prepares assault on last Gaza town as truce talks stall

Time of India

2 days ago

The previous truce expired in early May, plunging the conflict into a deeper crisis. Israel shuttered traditional aid distribution channels in favor of a US-backed alternative, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which it argued would help sideline Hamas. The UN has called it discriminatory and insufficient to stave off famine for many of the enclave's residents.
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Israel said Sunday it's moving for the first time into a town in the heart of the Gaza Strip that it had avoided for fear of harming hostages, as it accused Hamas of stalling at US-brokered ceasefire talks.The Israeli military told Palestinians in parts of Deir al-Balah to immediately evacuate southward to a tent city for civilians displaced by the 21-month-old war.The previous truce expired in early May, plunging the conflict into a deeper crisis. Israel shuttered traditional aid distribution channels in favor of a US-backed alternative, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which it argued would help sideline Hamas. The UN has called it discriminatory and insufficient to stave off famine for many of the enclave's residents.In parallel, the army launched a set of operations with the declared aim of taking Palestinian territory - an effort to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages from its October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.But while Israel now controls some 75% of Gaza, the Iran-backed Islamist group has stuck to its demand that any ceasefire and hostage release be tied to a full withdrawal of Israeli forces. That's been rejected by Israel.Deir al-Balah is one of a few pockets in the Gaza Strip where Israel's forces haven't maneuvered and entire buildings remain standing. That's because Israeli intelligence assessments were that hostages were held there. It's unclear if that remains the case as the new operation starts.The Hamas attack in 2023 killed 1,200 people in Israel, with another 250 abducted and taken to Gaza. Some 50 hostages remain, of whom 20 are thought to be alive. Hamas hasn't commented on the locations of hostages, whom it's threatened to execute if enemy troops approach.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the largest advocacy group pushing for a negotiated hostage release, voiced concern at the Deir al-Balah plan."For the hostages, this is not a negotiating 'bargaining chip,' but a clear and present danger to their fates. Enough! A sweeping majority of the nation of Israel wants the war ended in a comprehensive deal that returns all of the hostages," the forum said in a statement.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 6 sent negotiators back to Qatar, a Hamas intermediary, ahead of a White House visit during which he and US President Donald Trump voiced hope for a diplomatic breakthrough that would enable the return of 10 living and 18 deceased hostages.Gila Gamliel, a minister in Netanyahu's security cabinet, accused Hamas of stonewalling and anticipated that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, would fly in to join the talks. "The moment he runs things in Doha, we will see what the ramifications are," Gamliel told Israel's Army Radio, referring to Witkoff. "Our negotiating team is still there, in hope of coming back with good news."Hamas, which is on terrorism blacklists in much of the West, has warned that the latest deadlock endangers the hostages. "We have sustained their survival as much as possible, until now," Abu Obeida, Hamas armed wing spokesperson, said on Friday."If the criminal enemy obstructs or withdraws from this round, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or to the proposal for the release of 10 captives," he said.Israel says it wants to free as many hostages as possible but also wants to destroy Hamas as a military and governing institution. That would entail disarming Hamas and exiling its leaders, Israel says. Hamas has rejected those conditions.