Hamas, Israel open to ceasefire, disagreements remain

Protesters hold placards and flags during a rally calling for a permanent ceasefire in war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Paris, on Sunday. AFP

Two Egyptian security sources said Sunday that Israel and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas are both open to a renewed ceasefire and hostage release, although disagreements remain on how it would be implemented.
Egypt and Qatar, which had previously negotiated a week-long ceasefire and hostage release, insisted on expediting aid before any negotiations could begin, the sources said.
Hamas is insisting on setting the list of hostages to be released unilaterally, and demanding that Israeli forces withdraw behind pre-determined lines, the sources said.
While Israel agreed on Hamas setting the list, the sources said it demanded a timeline and to see the list before setting the time and duration of the ceasefire.
Israel refuses to withdraw, the sources added.
Israel opened a direct crossing for aid into Gaza for the first time in its more than two-month-old war on Hamas Sunday while also stepping up attacks on the Palestinian enclave, saying military pressure was the only way its hostages would be freed.
The Israeli attacks took place amid fierce fighting the length of the coastal strip, according to residents and Palestinian resistance fighters, with communications down for a fourth day, making it hard to reach the wounded.
Hopes for peace had been raised on Saturday when a source said Israeli and Qatari officials had spoken on Friday.
In a further positive sign, the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza opened for aid trucks on Sunday for the first time since the outbreak of war, officials said, in a move to double the amount of food and medicine reaching Gazans.
But Israel accused aid officials of not distributing the deliveries.
Aid agencies say their work has been disrupted by the violence. “
Israeli missile strikes on a house belonging to the Shehab family killed 24 people and wounded dozens in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Hamas Aqsa radio said.
The son of Dawoud Shehab, spokesman of Hamas-ally Islamic Jihad, was among the dead.
A medic said dozens people had been killed or wounded in the Shehab family home and nearby buildings.
In Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, medics said 12 Palestinians had been killed and dozens wounded, while in Rafah in the south, an Israeli air strike on a house left at least four people dead.
People rushed to the building to rescue those trapped under the rubble. The sound of the explosion was “as powerful as an earthquake”, Mahmoud Jarbou’, who lives nearby, said.
Around 19,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, and thousands buried in the rubble of Israeli air strikes since Oct. 7.
The accidental killing of three of the hostages on Friday by Israeli forces has increased pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of the others, but Hamas said it would not negotiate any exchange “unless the aggression against our people stops once and for all”.
Israel’s military said that 121 soldiers had been killed since the ground campaign began on Oct. 27.
The toll is already almost twice as high as during a ground offensive in 2014.
The Israeli military said its troops had found weapons and a tunnel used by militants to attack troops in Shejaia, a suburb near Gaza City.