According to the country's press, an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad director is traveling to Paris this Friday (23) to try to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, an area where there is a desperate humanitarian situation and incessant There are bomb attacks.
The Israeli army bombed overnight the towns of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the far south of the Palestinian territory, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.
The war began after the Palestinian Islamist movement's attack in southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli data.
In response, the Israeli army launched an air and ground offensive that killed 29,514 people in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to Hamas, which is considered a “terrorist” group by the United States, the European Union and Israel .
In November, a weeklong ceasefire allowed the release of more than 100 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israeli territory in return for the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Since then, international mediators have been trying to reach a new ceasefire to free the remaining hostages and authorize the entry of humanitarian aid. According to Israel, there are still 130 hostages in the Gaza Strip, 30 of whom died in captivity.
David Barnea, director of Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad, and Ronen Bar, director of the internal security service Shin Bet, are expected to travel to the French capital to “unlock” the negotiations, according to the press.
The trip comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a plan for the future of the Gaza Strip.
The project proposes that the territory be governed by “local officials” who have no ties “to countries or organizations that support terrorism,” that the army can operate in Gaza to “prevent any resurgence of terrorist activity,” and to create a “neutral zone,” according to The Times of Israel, they “guarantee the security” of the Hebrew state.
“Animals live better than us”
The Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, has vehemently opposed the plan.
“If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and recognize the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” said Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, who administers the occupied Palestinian territories of Israel since 1967.
Netanyahu, who emphasizes that the aim of the military campaign is to “destroy Hamas,” also intends to dismantle the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Israel has accused 12 UNRWA officials of involvement in the October 7 attack. The UN fired the accused workers and launched an internal investigation.
The agency's director, Philippe Lazzarini, warned on Thursday that UNRWA was “at the limit” after 16 countries stopped funding.
The organization is crucial to providing humanitarian assistance to millions of Palestinians, including many who are currently surviving in Gaza without water, food, medicine or fuel due to the Israeli siege.
“Even animals live better than us,” said Zarifa Hamad, a 62yearold displaced person in the Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza.
According to a Hamas source, in late January in Paris, the conflicting parties analyzed a plan for a sixweek ceasefire and the release of 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 Israeli hostages.
Negotiations also took place in Egypt, in which the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, took part.