Hamas offers all captives for permanent truce as Israel attacks go on
- Hamas proposes exchanging all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners in “one go” during the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and reach a permanent truce and a full Israeli pullout.
- Despite the ceasefire, at least three Palestinians have been killed and 11 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry says.
Netanyahu still looking to ‘avoid the day after’
Earlier, Hamas proposed to release all captives remaining in the Gaza Strip in “one go” in exchange for a lasting truce and a complete Israeli army withdrawal from the besieged enclave.
Khalil Sayegh, from the Agora Initiative, told Al Jazeera that Prime Minister Netanyahu is “in a privileged position with respect to Hamas offering up all the hostages”.
“After Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, both himself and President Trump implied there wouldn’t be a ceasefire as suggested by the terms of the January 19 deal. So now there have been changes both by Israel and Hamas,” said Sayegh.
“Israel has allowed some heavy equipment, tents and life-saving aid to get into Gaza, which it prevented before. While Hamas has also compromised in releasing the six hostages, as opposed to releasing just three.”
Sayegh also highlighted that Trump may be “setting the standard [excessively] high so that a deal can be reached with the Arab countries [to reach peace settlement with Israel and begin rebuilding Gaza.]”
Captives families confirm captives’ identities to be released on Thursday
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum has now confirmed the bodies that Hamas will hand over tomorrow are three members of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz.
“We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us,” the group said in a statement.
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts, and the hearts of people all over the world.”
While the deaths of the Bibas family were largely accepted after Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli air strike early in the war, Israel never confirmed the claim.
Israeli PM says he received names of deceased captives
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he received the list of names of captives’ bodies to be released on Thursday in Gaza.
While he did not name them, it’s widely expected the four to include two children from the Bibas family and their mother.
The fourth is expected to be the body of 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz, according to a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing.
“We embrace the families and the heart of an entire nation is torn. My heart is torn,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Spotlight on reformed aid system for Palestinian prisoners’ families
The dismissal of a senior official who opposed reforms to the financial aid system for families of killed and imprisoned Palestinians has reignited debate over the controversial policy.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian committee overseeing prisoners’ affairs, was sacked on Tuesday after publicly criticising the Palestinian Authority’s decision to revamp the aid structure earlier this month.
The PA implemented the reforms under sustained US pressure and criticism from Israel.
Financial support for relatives of “prisoners, martyrs and the wounded” will now be integrated into the general Palestinian welfare system, a shift that has drawn strong opposition.
Palestinians expressed strong opposition to it in social and traditional media, calling the move socially detrimental and a “betrayal” of the Palestinian cause.
Rights group slams EU for ignoring Israeli violations
The European Union has been criticised before its upcoming Partnership Council meeting with Israel, with critics urging the bloc to suspend talks and impose sanctions on Israeli officials.
At a news conference, Alexis Deswaef, vice president of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, emphasised the need to hold the EU accountable for its response to Israel’s war conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“All possible alarms are sounding yet the EU turns a blind eye, acting as if nothing is happening in Israel. Every honest lawyer in the world will confirm that this is an ongoing genocide,” Deswaef said.
He condemned Israel’s continued expansion in the occupied West Bank and the Trump administration’s support for annexation efforts. He also warned the EU’s ongoing engagement with Israeli authorities undermines its credibility.
Deswaef pointed to Article 2 of the EU-Israel Partnership Agreement, which requires adherence to human rights and international law, and urged the EU to enforce these principles and reconsider its partnership with Israel.
