A joint statement signed by 18 countries calls on Hamas to accept the agreement for the release of the hostages and the resulting ceasefire. Investigations into the mass grave near Nasser hospital continue
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A joint statement from 18 countries calling on Hamas to release hostages held in Gaza was released Thursday, the latest attempt at public pressure to advance negotiations on a potential ceasefire with Israel. The US authorities have made it known that “there is an agreement on the table that would bring an immediate ceasefire to Gaza, but Hamas has rejected it”. From Tel Aviv, relatives of some of the hostages have asked other countries around the world to join the 18.
The 18 countries: “The agreement will allow a prolonged ceasefire”
“The fate of the hostages and the civilian population of Gaza, which is protected by international law, is subject of international concern“, reads the text. “We emphasize that the agreement on the table for the release of the hostages would lead to an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate the dispatch of additional necessary humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza and would bring about a credible end of hostilities. Palestinians would be able to return to their homes and lands with the necessary preparations to secure shelter and humanitarian supplies,” wrote the leaders of the 18 signatory countries.
“We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts to bring our people home. We reiterate our call on Hamas to release the hostages and put an end to this crisis so that we can collectively focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region.”
The declaration was signed by the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and Hungary.
Hamas: “Military wing dissolved if two-state solution is accepted”
Interviewed by the Associated Press in Istanbul, Turkey, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said Hamas is ready for “5 years or more” truce with Israel and that, furthermore, it will “immediately lay down its arms” and convert to a political party the day an independent Palestinian state is created under the “two-state solution”.
Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by rival Fatah faction, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank. He said Hamas would accept “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international resolutions,” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders. If that happens, he said, “the military wing of the group will dissolve.”
Al-Hayya did not say, however, whether his apparent embrace of a two-state solution would amount to end of the Palestinian conflict with Israel or an intermediate step towards the group’s stated goal of destroying Israel.
About 400 bodies in the mass grave in Gaza
Meanwhile, Gaza Civil Defense has expressed its willingness to assist an independent international investigation, should it be appointed, into the recently discovered mass graves near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. On Thursday, Civil Defense said nearly 400 bodies had already been discovered. Many people visit exhumation sites in the hope of finding their missing loved ones.
Earlier in the week, the United Nations called for “a clear, transparent and credible investigation“. The Palestinian side claims that “many” of the bodies bear evidence of torture, referring to Israeli military operations inside the hospitals. Israel rejects such claims as slander.
