Despite the ongoing ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, announced on January 19, the truce remains fragile. Israeli forces continue their ongoing violations, expanding their aggression against Palestinian civilians, while the siege and closure continue for the 16th consecutive day.
The Israeli occupation army has expanded its aggression against the Gaza Strip, killing 15 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the agreement entered into force to 150, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.
Two Palestinians were killed and others wounded yesterday, Sunday, in an Israeli shelling of a Palestinian gathering in the Juhr al-Dik area north of the al-Bureij refugee camp, and in the shelling of a house in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
A young man also succumbed to wounds he sustained yesterday in an Israeli drone strike in Beit Lahia. This brings the death toll from Israeli army shelling of the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours to approximately 25. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to close the Gaza Strip crossings, preventing the entry of aid, goods, and fuel for the 16th consecutive day. This exacerbates the humanitarian crisis facing the population, amidst a stifling blockade and a sharp decline in humanitarian services provided by local authorities.
On the 57th day of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Israeli tanks fired heavily at the southern areas of Rafah and the eastern areas of Abasan al-Kabira and al-Jadidah, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas once again demonstrated flexibility in the negotiations by announcing its acceptance of the mediators’ proposal to release Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals. This is intended to allow for the resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange.
After days of procrastination, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the negotiating team to prepare for the resumption of the Gaza negotiations based on the mediators’ response to the proposal of US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The office stated in a statement that Netanyahu “held an in-depth discussion on Saturday evening on the issue of the kidnapped soldiers, with the participation of ministers, the negotiating team, and heads of the security establishment.”
