Written by Samy Magdy, Jon Gambell, and Sam Metz
JERUSALEM (AP) A major mediator emphasized the need for a truce in Gaza on Tuesday after Hamas responded favorably to a plan. Israel has not yet commented, as its military gets ready to launch an onslaught on some of the most populated sections in the region.
The European Union, Canada, and the United States have all classified Hamas as a terrorist group.
Both domestically and internationally, the idea of a larger attack on regions that are providing sanctuary to hundreds of thousands of civilians has drawn outrage. After 22 months of fighting, the majority of war-weary Palestinians believe that there is nowhere in Gaza that is safe, not even designated as a humanitarian zone.
Many Israelis, who were in the hundreds of thousands on Sunday, are concerned that the offensive will put the remaining captives in Gaza in much greater jeopardy. Of the remaining 50, just 20 are believed to be alive.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry, told reporters that the issue will worsen if this (ceasefire) request is not approved, adding that they have not heard back from Israel on the matter.
Hamas had accepted the terms being discussed, according to Al-Ansari. Although he would not elaborate, he said that the plan was nearly the same as one that U.S. ambassador Steve Witkoff had previously put up.
The United States proposed a 60-day truce during which the parties would negotiate a permanent ceasefire and the repatriation of the remaining captives, while also releasing some of the other hostages.
It shouldn’t be assumed that an agreement will be implemented immediately if one is reached, according to al-Ansari. We haven’t arrived yet.
A day earlier, the foreign minister of Egypt, the other Arab nation mediating the negotiations, stated that they were aiming for a phased agreement and mentioned that Qatar’s prime minister had joined talks between Hamas leaders and Arab mediators. This cautious assessment arrived.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press that Witkoff has been invited to return to the negotiations. Less than a month ago, Witkoff withdrew from the negotiations, claiming that Hamas was not behaving honorably.
Witkoff’s response to the invitation was unclear.
In an effort to exert pressure on Israel to agree to the ceasefire proposal, Abdelatty spoke with foreign ministers from the UK, Turkey, and the EU over the phone on Tuesday.
Abdelattay claimed in a statement that Israel currently has the upper hand.
A senior Israeli official stated on Tuesday that the nation’s stance on a ceasefire is unchanged and is constant.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, stated that Israel seeks the release of all 50 hostages in line with the Cabinet’s directives to stop the war.
According Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas must be completely defeated with one more drive. He has promised to keep fighting until Hamas is disarmed and all captives are restored.
As Israeli bombardment continued throughout Gaza, hospitals reported receiving the bodies of 28 Palestinians, including women and children, who were murdered Tuesday. According to officials at two hospitals who spoke to The Associated Press, nine of them were killed while attempting to get aid.
According to hospital officials, the deaths were reported throughout Gaza, notably in southern Khan Younis, central Deir al-Balah, and close to assistance distribution centers.
Those stations are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private American contractor with Israeli support that has taken over as Gaza’s main assistance distributor since May. According to a GHF representative, there were no accidents involving its Netzarim corridor facility on Tuesday. Two deaths were reported nearby by a hospital.
In Muwasi, a camp for hundreds of thousands of civilians, an airstrike killed a mother, father, and three children in their tent overnight, according to Nasser Hospital.
In a second, a whole family was gone. What did they do wrong? Majed al-Mashwakhi, the children’s grandfather, spoke while crying.
Questions concerning the casualties recorded by the hospitals in Nasser, Awda, and al-Aqsa were not promptly answered by Israel’s military.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is a division of the Hamas-run administration and employs medical experts, the number of Palestinian deaths in the conflict topped 62,000 on Monday. The government claims that women and children make up about half of the deceased, although it does not specify the proportion of civilians or combatants.
The ministry stated Tuesday that in addition to that number, three Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours as a result of malnutrition and starvation. Since it started keeping track of these deaths in late June, 154 adults have perished from malnutrition-related reasons, and since the war started with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, 112 youngsters have perished from malnutrition-related causes.
Large areas of Gaza are in ruins, the majority of the population is homeless, and experts warn the worst-case scenario of starvation is presently occurring. Aid organizations are still having difficulty getting supplies into Gaza.
Two and a half months after enforcing a complete embargo in March, Israel permitted limited aid to continue. 370 trucks of aid arrived Tuesday, falling short of the 600 trucks per day that the UN and its allies believe are required, according to COGAT, the Israeli military organization in charge of providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Since taking control of the Palestinian side of Rafah in May 2024, Israel has maintained control of all border crossings into Gaza. Some nations have tried to ship and fly supplies because land routes are constrained.
The U.N. warned on Tuesday that aid workers are increasingly in risk. According to its humanitarian office, 383 relief workers were killed globally in 2024, with roughly half of those deaths occurring in Gaza.
180 pallets of aid were airdropped into Gaza on Tuesday, according to COGAT, with assistance from nations like France, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Airdrops are costly, ineffective, and even hazardous for those on the ground, according to the U.N. and its partners.
On Tuesday, a ship filled with 1,200 tons of pre-screened pasta, rice, baby food, and canned goods sailed out of Cyprus for the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while Magdy reported from Cairo. Contributions came from Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Visit https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war to follow AP’s coverage of the conflict.
