Netanyahu Vows Continued Battle Against Gaza Until Israel's Security Assured

Tuesday gave the impression that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching an agreement to end their catastrophic six-week conflict in return for the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to continue the Israeli attack against Hamas as soon as the ceasefire expires, calling a meeting of his Cabinet for a decision.

"We are at war, and we will continue the war," he said. "We will continue until we achieve all our goals."

A proposal to free nearly half of the 240 hostages held by Hamas in return for a few days of halting Israel's attack in Gaza was to be put to a vote by the Israeli Cabinet. Israel has promised to keep up the fight until all captives are released and Hamas' military capabilities are destroyed.

According to Hamas, a settlement brokered by Qatar may be struck in "the coming hours."

Netanyahu agreed that the Cabinet had a difficult choice to make, but he also felt that it was the proper option to support the cease-fire. Even with certain hard-line ministers opposing the bill, Netanyahu seemed to have enough support to get it passed.

According to Netanyahu, intelligence operations would continue throughout the pause, giving the army time to be ready for the following phases of combat. The conflict, according to him, will go on until "Gaza will not threaten Israel."

The news was released while Israeli forces were engaged in combat with Palestinian terrorists in a northern Gazan urban camp and in the vicinity of hospitals that were overflowing with patients and providing sanctuary to families.

There was no disclosure of the anticipated cease-fire agreement. According to Israeli media, an arrangement would see Israel hold some 150 Palestinian inmates in return for the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas and a five-day suspension of its attack in Gaza.

The initial releases, according to Israel's Channel 12 TV, will happen on Thursday or Friday and last for a few days.

The talks have been stuck many times. Even yet, a ceasefire would not put an end to the conflict, which broke out on October 7 when Hamas terrorists broke through into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people—the majority of them civilians—and kidnapping some 240 more.

THE CHARGE IN GAZAZ

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, throughout weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground invasion, over 11,000 Palestinians—two-thirds of them women and children—have died, and over 2,700 more are missing, thought to be buried beneath debris. The ministry claims that due of the breakdown of the health system, it has not been able to update its count since November 11.

The number of casualties from the daily attacks has increased significantly, according to Gaza health authorities, and hospitals are still reporting dozens of dead at a time.

The West Bank's Health Ministry last provided a toll of 13,300, but it ceased to provide its own figure on Tuesday without offering an explanation. For that reason, as well as the fact that authorities there refused to provide a detailed explanation of how they monitored fatalities after November 11, the AP chose to cease publishing its tally.

There is no distinction made between fighters and civilians in the Health Ministry toll. Israel claims to have killed hundreds of Hamas fighters, but it has not offered any proof to support this claim.

According to Lebanese authorities and the Hezbollah-aligned Pan-Arab network, two journalists from Al-Mayadeen TV were murdered in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately provide a statement. Four Hamas militants were killed by an Israeli drone attack in Lebanon, according to a Palestinian source and a security officer in Lebanon.

Since the start of the conflict, the Israeli military has engaged in nearly daily cross-border shooting with Palestinian terrorists and Lebanon's Hezbollah organization.

DISCUSSES HOSTAGES

For weeks, negotiations have been underway between Israel, the US, and Qatar—which acts as a mediator with Hamas—over the release of hostages in exchange for the introduction of further assistance and a provisional cease-fire.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday in Washington that an agreement to free some hostages was "very close."

At the White House, he said, "We could bring some of these hostages home very soon."

Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, told reporters that "we are at the closest point we ever had in reaching an agreement," expressing hope. The talks were at a "critical and final stage," he said.

Leading Hamas leader Izzat Rishq said on Tuesday that a deal might be made "in the coming hours," wherein Israel would free Palestinian inmates and Hamas would release hostages. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas in exile, also said that a settlement was imminent.

According to Israel's Channel 12 TV, which cited unnamed Israeli authorities, if more hostages are liberated, a ceasefire may be declared and more Palestinian detainees released.

ATTACKS IN JABALIYA AND NEAR HOSPITAL

The Jabaliya refugee camp, a tightly constructed area of concrete structures next to Gaza City that housing people displaced in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's formation, became the front line of the conflict within Gaza. After being driven out of much of Gaza City, Hamas militants have reassembled there and in other eastern areas, according to the IDF, which has been bombarding the region for weeks.

Two adjacent hospitals were also impacted by the fighting in Jabaliya, detaining hundreds of patients and internally displacing thousands. Three physicians were among the four individuals killed in an attack that occurred inside al-Awda on Tuesday, the hospital director informed Al-Jazeera TV. The attack was attributed to Israel by the director, Ahmed Mahna, an allegation that the AP was unable to independently verify.

There was intense combat, according to Jabaliya residents, as Israeli soldiers attempted to advance while airstrikes were in effect. A university student named Hamza Abu Mansour said, "They are facing stiff resistance."

According to the Israeli military, rocket launchers and three subterranean shafts where militants were hiding were destroyed in the attacks. Israeli troops could be seen patrolling on foot as gunfire reverberated around them in military footage that was made public.

It was unable to independently verify any of the fighting's specifics.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees believes that some 160,000 people are still in its shelters in northern Gaza, but it is no longer able to offer services. The exact number of Palestinian civilians who remain there is unknown. Even while many have gone south in recent weeks, many more continue to take refuge at a number of northern hospitals.

The majority of hospitals are no longer open. Michael Ryan, a senior official with the World Health Organization, described the hospital situation in Gaza as "catastrophic," on Monday.

A senior Health Ministry official at the hospital, Munir al-Boursh, told Al-Jazeera TV that personnel had to bury 50 dead in the hospital's courtyard due to Israeli forces encircling the Indonesia Hospital, which is also close to Jabaliya.

As to the Gaza Health Ministry, there are around 2,000 displaced Palestinians and up to 600 injured individuals who are still stuck at the hospital.

The biggest hospital in Gaza, Shifa, has seen a similar stalemate in recent days, leaving over 250 patients and medical staff detained after the evacuation of 31 preterm newborns.

Recent days have seen signs of a militant presence at Shifa from Israel. However, it still lacks evidence to support its accusations that Hamas had a significant command center underneath the building—allegations that both Hamas and hospital crew have refuted.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.