Struggling for a ceasefire

Gaza war: New talks in Saudi Arabia

According to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, three quarters of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed.

(Bild: AP)

At a meeting of several foreign ministers from Western and Arab states in Riyadh this Monday, talks are to be held on efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages held by Hamas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia on his way back from a visit to China, wants to discuss the conflict with regional partners, according to his office.

Among others, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend. The ministers are meeting in Riyadh on the fringes of the Open Forum, an economic conference organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which focuses on topics such as the environment, health and finance. According to WEF President Børge Brende, Israel was not supposed to attend.

Hamas delegation travels to Cairo for talks
A Hamas delegation is also expected to travel to Cairo on Monday to discuss details of a new proposal for a compromise with Israel in the Egyptian capital, a Hamas representative told the German Press Agency. However, hopes for an agreement in the indirect negotiations between international mediators - Israel's government and Hamas do not hold direct talks as a matter of principle - have been dashed time and again so far. The focus of the talks was recently moved from Qatar to Egypt.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after landing in Saudi Arabia

(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)

Hamas expected to respond on Monday
A high-ranking Hamas official announced on Telegram that the Islamist organization would examine an Israeli proposal and provide a response. According to Israeli television, the Israeli government expects this by Monday. According to the statement, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Israel was prepared to postpone the military operation in the city of Rafah if a deal was reached for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

USA against major offensive in Rafah
The USA has repeatedly warned the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a large-scale offensive in Rafah. The city on the border with Egypt is overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of refugees. US President Biden reiterated his clear position in a conversation with Netanyahu, the White House announced on Sunday.

Death of many hostages suspected
According to Israeli media, the current draft deal is initially a limited agreement that only provides for the release of female, elderly and sick hostages. Hamas has recently called for a permanent ceasefire, which Israel rejects. It is feared that many of the 133 hostages still believed to be in the Gaza Strip are no longer alive.

According to military sources, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has discussed and approved plans to continue the war in Gaza with the leading officers of the Southern Command. No further details were given. Halevi had previously approved further steps to continue the Gaza war. Israeli media also interpreted the decision as approval of the planned offensive in Rafah.

Relatives are still fearing for the Israeli hostages who were abducted in the Gaza Strip in October.

(Bild: AP)

Minister threatens to break coalition if Rafah operation is halted
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had previously threatened to break the coalition if a military operation in Rafah was halted in favor of a hostage deal. This would be a "humiliating capitulation" and a "death sentence for the hostages and an immediate existential threat to the state of Israel", Smotrich said in a video message to Netanyahu.

According to media reports, the Israeli Prime Minister fears that the International Criminal Court in The Hague could issue arrest warrants for him and other Israeli leaders. The government assumes that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan could issue international arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Joav Galant and Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi this week, Israeli media reported. There was no comment on this from The Hague.

The Criminal Court has been investigating Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip since 2021. Investigations are also underway into violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The Israeli army flew further airstrikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip at the weekend. A vehicle carrying eight Hamas terrorists was hit in the central part of the coastal area, the army announced on Saturday. Terrorist infrastructure, observation posts and rocket launchers were also attacked.

According to Hamas, more than 30,000 Palestinians killed
The war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people killed by terrorists from Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7 last year. The Hamas-controlled health authority put the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war at 34,454 on Sunday. The figures it published make no distinction between civilians and gunmen and are almost impossible to verify independently.