Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put forward a proposal to halt the ongoing attacks on Gaza for a period of two months, according to reports from Axios. The offer, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators to Hamas fighters, comes just a day after Netanyahu rejected a deal suggested by Hamas to end the conflict. The current conflict in Gaza has resulted in the loss of over 25,000 Palestinian lives.
The multi-phase proposal from Israel includes the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza, as reported by two Israeli officials. Netanyahu is facing increasing domestic pressure to bring the captives back home. He previously expressed concerns that accepting Hamas’ conditions would leave the armed group intact and that the sacrifices of Israeli soldiers would be in vain.
Furthermore, Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to the idea of an independent Palestinian state, emphasizing the necessity of full Israeli security control over the entire area west of the Jordan River.
Hamas had previously released more than 100 captives in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners during a brief truce brokered in late November by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. However, Hamas is still holding 136 people in captivity, according to Israeli officials.
The total Palestinian death toll in Gaza has reached at least 25,105 since Israel declared its intention to eliminate Hamas in response to the group’s attacks on October 7.
US and UK Launch Strikes on Yemen’s Houthis
The United States and Britain initiated new strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday, marking their second round of joint military action. The move is said to be in response to continued Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. In a joint statement, Washington and London, along with other supporting countries, announced that the strikes targeted eight Houthi locations in Yemen. The focus was on a Houthi underground storage site and areas associated with the rebels’ missile and air surveillance capabilities.
The statement highlighted that these precision strikes aim to disrupt and degrade the capabilities used by the Houthis to threaten global trade and the lives of mariners. The action follows a series of what was described as “illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing” actions by the Houthi rebel group since the previous joint US-UK air raids.
The ongoing military involvement reflects international concerns about the impact of Houthi actions on maritime activities in the Red Sea.
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