- Mediator Qatar says a Gaza ceasefire deal is at the closest point it has been in the past few months, adding that many of the obstacles in the negotiations have been ironed out.
- As ceasefire negotiations advance, residents in Gaza are expressing “a mixture of optimism and deep-seated scepticism”, according to our team on the ground.
- At least 61 Palestinians have been killed and 281 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
- Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 46,645 Palestinians and wounded 110,012 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
- No letup in Israeli attacks on Gaza despite ceasefire deal progressReporting from Deir el-Balah, central GazaOne what would have expected a slowdown or a letup in the attacks across the Gaza Strip but what we’re seeing here is more of a surge that has been increasing exponentially for the past few days.The more there are leaks about a potential ceasefire agreement, the more we hear about the talks, the higher the pace of these attacks.Just in the past few minutes, the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where I’m standing turned into mayhem – quite chaotic scenes after four people were killed in an attack on a busy area in the northwestern part of Deir el-Balah city.The attack happened at a time when people were moving in and out of their tent sites when a drone struck a group of people on their way from the site where they were staying.So we don’t see any significant change on the ground despite all the talk. Attacks also continued to be carried out in Gaza City and further north where more drone strikes killed more people and attacked more residential buildings and public facilities.As of this moment, the total in the past 12 hours or so stands at 33 people killed.So there is a very cautious optimism, but people are still expressing concern; there is fear that a ceasefire might not happen because of the many times they have been let down in the past.
- Germany’s Scholz says Gaza deal seems within reachOlaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, has said a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to be within reach.“We understand how painful any agreement with the terrorist organisation Hamas is for Israel. Nevertheless, the lives of the hostages must now have top priority,” he said in a statement.Scholz added that the deal offers the chance to ease the suffering in Gaza.
- Gaza death toll since dawn rises to 32At least 32 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn, according to medical sources cited by our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.At least 24 of the people killed were in the central and southern parts of the Strip, the sources said.We will keep you updated.
- If you’re just joining usHere are the latest developments:
- Israeli attacks have escalated to an “unprecedented” level in the past 24 hours, which could be a sign that the ceasefire deal may be near, according to Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah.Hamas leaders have conducted a series of consultations with leaders of Palestinian factions, informing them about progress made in the ongoing negotiations in Doha, according to a statement from the group’s chapter in the occupied West Bank.The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has warned of “Israeli plans aimed at disconnecting” the Gaza Strip from the occupied West Bank, aiming to prevent “the incarnation of the Palestinian state”.The killing of journalist Mohammed al-Talmas in Gaza City has raised the number of media professionals killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 204, according to the enclave’s Government Media Office.At least 35 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces across the West Bank since yesterday evening until this morning, according to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS).
- Israel’s Netanyahu meeting with Smotrich: ReportsPM Netanyahu is now meeting far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to Israeli media reports, as negotiations for a ceasefire with Hamas advance.Netanyahu is trying to persuade Smotrich not to resign from the government over a potential deal, according to Israel’s Walla news site.Earlier today, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Smotrich to resign alongside him if Israel agrees to a ceasefire, in a last-ditch bid to thwart a potential deal.
LIVE: Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel, Hamas at ‘closest point’ – Qatar
