Israel’s ministry said Wednesday that the defense minister has authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists to carry out a plan for the takeover of Gaza City.
As mediators seeking a truce in the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza awaited an official Israeli answer on their most recent proposal, Defense Minister Israel Katz’s action, which a spokeswoman confirmed to AFP, increased pressure on Hamas.
A senior Israeli official stated that the government remained steadfast in its demand for the release of all captives in any deal, despite the fact that mediator Qatar had voiced cautious hope over the most recent proposal.
The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The latest truce proposal came after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City, despite fears it will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy.
Qatar said the latest proposal was “almost identical” to an earlier version agreed by Israel, while Egypt said Monday that “the ball is now in its (Israel’s) court”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his country would accept “an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war”.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had “opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past”.
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