Israel-Hamas war: CIA director headed abroad for Gaza hostage talks
CIA boss Bill Burns is heading to Europe to meet with Middle Eastern officials as part of an ambitious push to free all of the hostages. Follow updates. Warning: Graphic
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The directors of the CIA is expected to meet with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar to discuss a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official.CIA director William Burns and Mossad chief David Barnea will meet with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss the release of the remaining 132 hostages taken on October 7 in exchange for a two-month ceasefire.
Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel will also participate in the meeting, while Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar will also be there.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters traveling with US President Joe Biden aboard Air Force One on Thursday that Mr Burns “has been… involved in helping us with the hostage deal that was in place and trying to help us pursue another one.”
Hamas has insisted that it will release all the Israeli hostages in Gaza if Israel releases all Palestinian prisoners, which Israel has rejected outright, and has demanded a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
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FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES HELD DENY LEAKING AUDIO OF NETANYAHU
The families of hostages held in Gaza have forcefully denied leaking a recording of a meeting where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to criticize Qatar, saying his officials record the meetings while families have to leave their phones at the door.
“All conversations in meetings with the Prime Minister are recorded by his office and his associates sitting in the meeting. The families participating in the meeting have their phones taken at the entrance,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
The Forum represents relatives of many of the people kidnapped on October 7 who are being held in Gaza.
“The decision whether to leak information” from meetings between relatives and Netanyahu “is with the Prime Minister’s Office,” the statement said.
The leaked audio has reportedly infuriated Qatar.
ISRAELI ARMY DETAINING PALESTINIAN MEN FLEEING
The Associated Press has reported that Palestinians are fleeing Khan Younis “by the thousands” as fighting in the area intensifies. Palestinians also told the outlet that Israeli forces told them to evacuate the Faisal school where many were sheltering, and detained many young men with little explanation.
“Suddenly, they [the Israeli military] started calling from the microphones to evacuate the site within half an hour,” Amal, a Palestinian mother who gave birth three days ago and fled the school with her newborn, told AP.
“They allowed us to leave, and they made us walk a certain distance, and they took the young men and searched them on the side,” Israa Khashan, who was also sheltering at the school, said.
“They took some young men with them and left others, and now we are here, not knowing where to go.”
FAMILIES OF ISRAELI CAPTIVES BLOCK ROAD IN TEL AVIV
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reports that a group of protesters containing family members of those held captive in Gaza is blocking a highway in Israel’s capital, demanding the Israeli government work harder to secure their release.
Channel 12 says that members of the Metzger, Monder, Or, Calderon-Dan and Horn families are present in the crowd.
משפחות ×”×—×˜×•×¤×™× ×™×—×“ ×¢× ×ž×•×—×™× × ×•×¡×¤×™× ×—×•×¡×ž×™× ×‘×©×¢×” זו ×ת × ×ª×™×‘×™ ×יילון. בין ×”×ž×¤×’×™× ×™×: ×‘× ×™ המשפחות מצגר, ×ž×•× ×“×¨, ×ור, קלדרון-דן והורן@michalpeylan
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) January 25, 2024
צילו×: ×“× ×•×¨ ×הרון pic.twitter.com/Ch10Hwplrb
ISRAEL ‘ORDERS’ UN SHELTER EVACUATION AFTER DEADLY STRIKE
The United Nations claimed the Israeli military ordered people to flee a shelter that has been hit by a deadly strike during intense fighting in Khan Younis.
A spokeswoman for UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, said the Israeli Defence Force gave those huddled inside until the following afternoon to leave the UN shelter.
It comes after at least 12 were killed, and 75 injured, in a strike on the shelter that the IDF “ruled out” was the result of an aerial or artillery strike carried out by Israeli forces
Amal Lubbad, a Palestinian at the UN facility, said they were notified to “vacate the premises” by 5pm Friday afternoon, local time.
“We don’t know where we’ll go,” Lubbad said.
An IDF spokesperson, however, said “no specific evacuation request was communicated to UNRWA or those staying in (the shelter’s) vicinity”.
The death toll at the shelter rose to 12, with another 15 in a critical condition, after what UNRWA agency director Thomas White claimed were two tank shells striking the building.
The deadly UN strike drew criticism from the US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel who said: “We deplore today’s attack on the UN’s Khan Younis training centre.
“Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of UN facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the lifesaving humanitarian assistance that they need.”
Fighting is escalating in Khan Younis #Gaza - the @UNRWA Training Centre sheltering 10Ks of displaced people has just been hit - buildings ablaze and mass casualties - safe access to/from the centre has been denied for 2 days - people are trapped.
— Thomas White (@TomWhiteGaza) January 24, 2024
CURFEW IMPOSED ON KHAN YOUNIS
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says Israeli forces are besieging its headquarters and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis and imposing a curfew in the area.
“The intense shelling around the hospital, gunfire, and the military vehicles approaching from all directions are ongoing violations of international laws and the Geneva Conventions,” the PRCS said on X.
“The occupation prohibits the movement of humanitarian teams, including ambulances, in blatant disregard for established norms.”
â•ï¸The Israeli occupation forces continue their siege on Al-Amal Hospital and the PRCS's headquarters in #KhanYounis, imposing a complete curfew since noon today. The intense shelling around the hospital, gunfire, and the military vehicles approaching from all directions are… pic.twitter.com/9Yc3BOd1AT
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 24, 2024
It comes as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to deliver on Friday its highly anticipated verdict on South Africa’s request for an interim ruling in its genocide case against Israel.
The ruling, if granted, would most likely take the form of an order to Israel to announce a ceasefire in Gaza and allow more UN humanitarian aid into the country.
MAN SHOT DEAD WHILE INTERVIEWED ON UK TV
The “shocking video” of a man waving a white flag being shot dead in Gaza, released by ITV News, has sparked accusations of a “war crime”.
Leading charities including Amnesty International and the Norwegian Refugee Council condemned the incident, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US officials were questioned on their reaction.
On Tuesday, footage filmed by Mohammed Abu Safia, a cameraman working for ITV News, showed a group of men in Gaza, holding a white flag who wanted to rescue their family after being forced to evacuate their homes.
Minutes later, one of the men – Ramzi Abu Sahloul – was fatally shot in the chest.
Moment innocent civilian brandishing white flag in Gaza 'safe zone' is shot dead in the street | @johnirvineitv reportshttps://t.co/eHNBbDXHm2pic.twitter.com/R0ictqZP5T
— ITV News (@itvnews) January 24, 2024
ISRAELI PROTESTERS BLOCK HIGHWAY
A crowd has blocked a highway in Tel Aviv, calling for the government to make a deal securing the release of the remaining captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media.
Israeli reporter Oren Ziv shared a video from the protests showing a group of women marching with a banner that reads “Stop the bloodshed”.
Now in Tel Aviv women protest for ceasefire chanting “you can’t achieve security with the corpses of children†#gazapic.twitter.com/7omUywC2Or
— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) January 24, 2024
ISRAEL-HAMAS TALK TRUCE
Israel and Hamas are said to be getting closer to an agreement to release Israeli hostages in return for a month-long ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners and additional aid for Gaza, according to reports.
According to the New York Post, the deal is being held up by the two sides’ inability to agree on how to end the nearly four-month-old war.
The release of the over 130 hostages still held in Gaza would be done in stages, prioritising Israeli civilians and ending with soldiers.
The agreement follows what one source called “intensive” mediation talks led by Qatar, Washington and Egypt.
Hamas first proposed a break of several months, one source claimed, though Israel disagreed and the time frame was lowered to about 30 days.
The sparring groups also cannot agree on how much they want to negotiate at a time, with Hamas refusing to move forward until the future conditions of a permanent ceasefire are determined, while Israel just wants to negotiate one stage at a time, several sources told the outlet.
Hamas hopes to get “a package deal” agreement to a permanent ceasefire before it agrees to release any of the hostages, a Palestinian official involved in mediation efforts said. Israel and Hamas are in contact solely through mediators.
US OPPOSES TERRITORIAL CHANGE IN GAZA
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has renewed opposition to territorial changes in the Gaza Strip as Israel pounds the territory, killing at least 25,490 Palestinians.
During a visit to Nigeria, Mr Blinken was responding to repeated suggestions that Israel would create a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip, a prospect that has stirred anger.
“It is totally appropriate, something that we support, that those people be able to return to their homes and that the necessary security arrangements be in place to give them the confidence to do that,” Mr Blinken told reporters.
“If there need to be transitional arrangements to enable that to happen, that’s one thing.
“But when it comes to the permanent status of Gaza going forward, we have been very clear, we remain clear about not encroaching on its territory.”
It comes as thousands of displaced Palestinians are fleeing Khan Younis in southern Gaza as the Israeli military said it has surrounded the city amid further operations west of the area.
CNN video shows displaced people sitting on the side of streets and in the vicinity of the seashore. The video shows cars, trucks, and tractors transporting families and their essential belongings, and crowds of people walking. Many of those fleeing described terrifying scenes.
“There are dead people on the ground. We left them behind. There are people killed inside the houses,” displaced Palestinian Hisham Sayegh told CNN. “We were expecting to die at any minute.”
At least 25,490 people have been killed and 63,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
Doctors Without Borders staff said they are unable to follow Israel’s evacuation orders for the area around Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, as the sounds of “bombs and heavy gunfire” go off nearby.
“With heavy bombing and fighting moving closer to the areas surrounding Nasser Hospital, injured civilians will not be able to access immediate or urgent care,” the group said. The United Nations said the situation at hospitals in the area has deteriorated as Israeli military operations expand.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called out Israel’s “collective punishment” of Palestinians and branded as “unacceptable” refusals to accept a two-state solution for Palestine.
Over decades, the two-state solution has been traduced, undermined & left for dead many times.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) January 23, 2024
However, it remains the only way to achieve durable & equitable peace in Israel, in Palestine & in the region. pic.twitter.com/4pAdfF75Ui
The UN chief’s comment follows after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently reiterated his long and staunch opposition to an independent state for Palestinians alongside an Israeli state.
“The refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable,” Mr Guterres said.
“The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognised by all.”
HALF A MILLION SUFFER ‘CATASTROPHIC HUNGER’
More than half a million people in Gaza face “catastrophic hunger,” the United Nations said, as Israel restricts supplies of food, water and fuel to the territory.
The United Nations agency that coordinates aid to Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, added that Gaza’s health facilities had been decimated and renewed its appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to facilitate aid deliveries.
A spokeswoman for the agency, Juliette Touma, visited Gaza and appears in a video that the UN released on Tuesday showing people lying on floors in overcrowded medical facilities and receiving rudimentary treatment for wounds. The video also shows families lining up for food and living in makeshift dwellings.
“These are not conditions meant for human beings,” Ms Touma said, adding that the situation was “absolutely desperate.”
The agency said that its ability to deliver aid had been impeded by intense fighting and blackouts of Gaza’s mobile networks for days at a time, as well as restrictions on its ability to move around the territory and reach hospitals.
“As risk of famine grows,” the United Nations “calls for a critical increase in humanitarian access,” it said in a separate post on X.
FREED HOSTAGES TELL OF HORROR
Two freed Israeli female hostages have given testimony at a parliamentary hearing on sexual violence on the abuse they saw while being held captive by Hamas militants.
Aviva Siegel, 62, was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with her husband Keith on October 7 and released during a ceasefire in late November. Her husband still remains in captivity.
“I was there 51 days and there wasn’t a moment that we didn’t go through abuse of any kind,” she said.
“They (female hostages) became dolls on a string that they can do with them what they please, whenever they please. I saw it with my own eyes. I didn’t just see, I felt the women as if they were my daughters.”
Politicians have criticised the government’s efforts to assist Israelis who were sexually assaulted on October 7.
Mrs Siegel’s daughter, Shir, said that her mother’s testimony was “only the tip of the iceberg,” and expressed anger that ministers were not present to hear the accounts.
“The hostages are sitting in captivity, they have not done anything wrong! We have no right to just sit here, we need to scream for them,” she said.
“Where is the cabinet, that they may hear these stories? Where are the decision makers? Where are they to listen, to shed a tear – what are they busy with?
Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48, said she had seen fellow female hostages miss periods during their captivity – suggesting they may have become pregnant.
She also said that the biggest fear the captives had was of being abandoned by the Israeli authorities.
Mrs Goldstein-Almog and three of her children, Agam, 17, and two sons, Gal, 11, and Tal, 9 were freed in late November, while her husband and eldest daughter were killed on October 7.
In an interview with the New York Times in December, Mrs Goldstein-Almog said the strangest part of her seven-week ordeal was the “long and intimate conversations” she had with her captors.
She said one of the gunmen holding her even apologised for the killing of her husband and one of her daughters by other Hamas gunmen.
Both Mrs Goldstein-Almog and Mrs Siegel were freed during a seven-day humanitarian pause in late November that led to the release of 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for aid deliveries into Gaza and the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were underage.
– with AFP
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Originally published as Israel-Hamas war: CIA director headed abroad for Gaza hostage talks
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