By Nityanjali Bulsu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during talks regarding truce discussions between the negotiators and diplomats from Egypt and Qatar, dropped hints regarding the release of all hostages all at once as a ceasefire attempt in Gaza.
While the talks about the ceasefire appeared to slow down in the last month, the Hamas delegates from Cairo arrived for further talks in regards to the ceasefire, reigniting hope, according to an Egyptian news channel named Qahera on Tuesday, August 12.
The ceasefire addresses included a new frame prepared that concentrated on the release of all hostages in one go as well as the pullout of the Israeli forces. The militants continue to keep 50 hostages captured, and Israel believes that around 20 of those hostages may still be alive.
During an interview with a broadcast channel called i24 News network, Netanyahu was asked questions off the topic of the partial ceasefire on August 12. The Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed their move of advancing a proposal regarding a 60-day ceasefire alongside the release of the hostages and increase in the humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza.
“I think it’s behind us,” Netanyahu replied to this. “We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.” “I want all of them,” he further added to his statement. “The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead — that’s the stage we’re at.”
Furthermore, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported that the Gaza Health Ministry informed the UN staff of five deaths in Gaza in the last 24 hours from starvation and malnutrition. The ministry further added that 121 and 101 children died due to malnutrition and related causes in the duration of the war.
“Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people’s immense needs,” Dujarric said.