Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said that the terror group is nearing a “truce” agreement with Israel during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as reported by the Times of Israel on Tuesday. In a statement shared on Telegram, Haniyeh, who is based in Doha and heads the Hamas politburo, conveyed that the group has provided its response to the “brothers” in Qatar and other mediators, and is now close to reaching an agreement.
Netanyahu meets Israeli families
Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, reiterating his commitment to securing their release and calling it “a sacred and supreme mission.” Netanyahu emphasized that efforts would persist until the hostages were returned, describing it as his and the war cabinet’s responsibility. He expressed empathy for the families and outlined ongoing diplomatic, intelligence, and operational efforts.
In another development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the deaths of two more soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll in the ground operation against Hamas to 68. The deceased soldiers were identified as Cpt. Arnon Moshe Avraham Benvenisti Vaspi (26) and Staff Sgt. Ilya Senkin (20), with three other soldiers seriously wounded.
The IDF conducted pre-emptive artillery shelling in southern Lebanon in response to repeated attacks by Hezbollah. Separately, troops of the Nahal Brigade identified a group of Hamas operatives entering a building in the Gaza Strip, used as a weapons depot, which was subsequently destroyed in an airstrike, according to The Times of Israel.
Additionally, 31 babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Sunday, involving multiple international agencies rushing the newborns in ambulances amid active fighting, as reported by CNN.
(With Agency Inputs)