Rafah, 26 April 2024 – This is the last moment for an agreement, because alternatively Israel will launch its ground operation in Rafah. This would be – according to the Channel 12 broadcaster, which cites an Israeli source – the message clearly transmitted by Israel to its Egyptian interlocutors – and through them to the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar – during talks between Israeli hostage negotiators and a delegation of Egyptian mediators visiting the country. The Times of Israel reports.
Rafah, agreement or invasion
The source says Israel is not willing to let Sinwar drag out the negotiations. This is the alternative between “an agreement in the near future, and Rafah“. The sources confirm that Israel is willing to accept the release of fewer hostages than the 40 previously proposed, but also that he will not accept the release of just 20 hostagesas Hamas would have suggested in recent indirect contacts.
Israel believes Hamas holds 33 hostages who fall under the designation of ‘humanitarian’ hostages, women, children, men over the age of 50 and the sick. – and insists that they all be released. The source did not specify whether this would be the first phase of a broader agreement for all hostages, nor the duration of the proposed truce.
The source says that the IDF has completed all its preparations for an operation in Rafah and that numerous sources in the defense establishment believe that “time is running out” for the hostages, that they must be the “absolute priority” and that the IDF can resume fighting at any time if it becomes necessary to pause to agree and carry out a hostage deal.
Channel 12 quotes defense sources saying that Netanyahu should push as hard as possible for a hostage dealbut fears opposition from the far right of his coalition, in particular from ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.
Tajani: “Israel is preparing, we must avert the attack”
“The Israeli attack on Rafah? They are preparing, we are doing everything we can to avoid it and we are working to ensure that there are as few victims as possible. We, as the G7, have called for an immediate ceasefire. We give a message of peace, we ask for an immediate ceasefire”, the release “of the Israeli hostages and the liberation of the Palestinians from the war, we want to help them in all possible ways”. The Foreign Minister and secretary of Forza Italia says this on Un Giorno da Pecora, on Rai Radio1 Antonio Tajani, interviewed by Giorgio Lauro and Geppi Cucciari. (Source: Ansa, Photo: X @IDF)
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