Ceasefire negotiations continue as pressure mounts on Israel
Some 129 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza, but it's unclear how many are still alive.
Marathon meetings between officials from Israel and Qatar to negotiate a possible new ceasefire continued on Monday, according to Israeli media.
Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani in Europe over the weekend and were scheduled to continued their talks in Warsaw on Monday where CIA chief William J. Burns joined the talks, according to Yediot Ahronot.
Barnea and Al Thani met on Friday after the IDF soldiers mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, sparking immediate protests in Tel Aviv.
Relatives of the remaining hostages in Gaza demand that the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas be renewed and more hostages freed.
Israel has so far insisted on putting military pressure on Hamas to get the hostages released, but at least 10 hostages have either been declared dead or killed since the ceasefire was broken by Hamas on December 1.
Hamas is reportedly seeking a deal that would end Israeli military operations in Gaza completely, something Israel has refused to agree to.
Several hostages freed during the last ceasefire have spoken out about their experiences from Gaza, ranging from sexual assault, beatings, solitary confinement and starvation.
129 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza, but it’s unclear how many are still alive.
As Israel continued its intense military pressure on Hamas on Monday, international pressure increased on Jerusalem to agree to a ceasefire, with the UN Security Council meeting to draft a new proposal.
The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution last week, calling for an immediate ceasefire. On Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also joined the calls for a ceasefire, saying “too many civilians have been killed” in Gaza.
Cameron did, however, advocate for a lasting ceasefire and not an immediate one which wouldn’t end the violence.
“We do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward. Would Hamas stop firing rockets? Would it release the hostages? Would its murderous ideology change? An unsustainable ceasefire, quickly collapsing into further violence, would only make it harder to build the confidence needed for peace.”
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