A Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations stated that Sunday was a crucial day in determining the outcome of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. The source, who remained anonymous, mentioned that mediators have made progress by proposing compromise solutions to bridge the differences between the two sides. The mediators are now awaiting the response of the Israeli government, which is expected after a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold with various ministers and officials.
The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released on Saturday a video featuring an Israeli detainee in Gaza, Liri Al-Baaj. She claimed that the Israeli detainees are not a priority for the Israeli government or military, and reported that one of her fellow detainees was seriously injured during Israeli military operations in Gaza. This prompted Israeli families of prisoners to protest across various cities, demanding an “immediate” prisoner exchange deal.
Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday evening to demand a prisoner exchange deal. Protests took place in several cities, including Jerusalem and Haifa, with clashes occurring between demonstrators and police in Tel Aviv. Six people were arrested during the protests. Demonstrators expressed frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, accusing him of undermining the potential ceasefire and delay in releasing their relatives.
In a related development, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that Israeli forces had committed five massacres against civilians in the past 24 hours, resulting in 88 deaths and 208 injuries. This brings the death toll from the ongoing Israeli military aggression to 45,805, with 109,064 individuals injured since the beginning of the conflict.
