Jerusalem, Jan 15: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied on Wednesday media reports claiming that Hamas had given final approval to a ceasefire-for-hostage deal. “Hamas hasn’t yet replied to the deal,” the office said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that Hamas had provided a positive response to the draft agreement, though technical issues remain unresolved. Netanyahu met on Wednesday with Bezalel Smotrich, a key far-right partner in his coalition government, to persuade him and his Religious Zionism party to support the deal, Xinhua news agency reported.
Another key partner, ultranationalist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, strongly opposed the agreement, advocating for continued fighting in Gaza. Despite this, Netanyahu has secured majority support in both the cabinet and the government, even if both parties oppose the deal, according to Israeli news outlets.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing but largely stalled for nearly a year, with the aim of ending over 15 months of fighting that has devastated Gaza and destabilized the region.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces had intensified their assault on Gaza, striking approximately 50 sites since early Wednesday, Israeli authorities said. In a joint statement, the Israeli Shin Bet domestic security agency and the military reported that the airstrikes targeted militants, weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure, anti-tank fire positions, and Hamas military structures.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defence Authority in Gaza, reported that the authority had retrieved the bodies of seven people and rescued dozens of wounded individuals after Israeli aircraft targeted the Al-Farabi School with at least one missile. According to him, the school, located in the Yarmouk area west of Gaza City, was housing displaced people.
The Israeli statement confirmed the strike, stating that it targeted a militant “holding a central position” who was hiding in the building, which they described as “a command and control centre” for attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza.
More than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory military campaign, which was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and led to the abduction of around 250 others. A total of 98 hostages are believed to remain held in Gaza.
IANS