Cease-Fire In Gaza Is Feasible, According To The United States

The United States said on Wednesday that discussions between Hamas and Israel on a truce and the release of captives in Gaza might yet lead to an accord, as South Africa requested more emergency measures from the World Court.

Negotiators from Hamas terrorists, Qatar, and Egypt—but not Israel—are attempting to arrange a 40-day ceasefire in preparation for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts early next week.

Despite reports that negotiations had reached a deadlock, the United States stated on Wednesday that a truce agreement was still possible.

“We continue to believe that obstacles are not insurmountable and that a deal can be reached… so we’re going to keep pushing for one,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in Washington.

South Africa, which filed a complaint in January at the World Court in The Hague accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, requested the court on Wednesday to mandate new emergency measures, including a cessation of hostilities, because Palestinian civilians were starving.

“The fear of widespread starvation has now materialised. “The court must act now to prevent the impending tragedy,” the South African presidency said in a statement.

The Gaza health ministry said that two Palestinians, aged 15 and 72, died of dehydration and malnutrition on Wednesday in al-Shifa and Kamal Adwan hospitals, bringing the total number of such deaths in just over a week to 20. Reuters could not confirm the deaths.

Fears were also growing that the Gaza conflict would expand throughout the Middle East, particularly after a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Iran-aligned Houthi forces acting in support of the Palestinians.

In the most recent strike, at least three sailors were killed in a Houthi attack on a Greek-owned cargo, according to US military officials, the first deaths documented since the Yemeni group began targeting shipping in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.

The US State Department stated that it will continue to hold the Houthis accountable for similar strikes.

Hamas agreed to continue the Cairo negotiations, but representatives from the Palestinian militant group stated a truce must be established before hostages are released, Israeli forces must leave Gaza, and all Gazans must be able to return home.

“We are showing the required flexibility in order to reach a comprehensive cessation of aggression against our people, but the occupation is still evading the entitlements of this agreement,” the group stated in a statement.

According to a source, Israel is not attending the Cairo negotiations because Hamas has refused to release a list of hostages who are still alive. Hamas claims that this is impossible without a cease-fire because hostages are dispersed around the conflict zone.

Senior Hamas leader Bassem Naim stated that the Islamist party had provided its own draft plan and was expecting a response from Israel, adding that “the ball is now in the Americans’ court”.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Israel was cooperating and urged Hamas to accept Israel’s “rational offer”.

Israeli forces, which launched their offensive in Gaza following the deadly Hamas incursion on Israel on October 7, have continued to pummel the Palestinian enclave since the talks began in Cairo on Sunday, escalating the severe humanitarian situation in the densely populated coastal strip.

“Every day, we lose dozens of martyrs. “We want a ceasefire right now,” Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a Palestinian electrician and father of five from Gaza City who is now in southern Khan Younis, told Reuters via a messaging app.

According to health officials in Gaza, the number of confirmed deaths from Israel’s attack has surpassed 30,700. It recorded 86 deaths in the previous 24 hours, and witnesses said Israeli shelling continued in Khan Younis, Rafah, and downtown Gaza.

On Wednesday, the United States and Britain renewed their calls for additional aid to Gaza. Washington has encouraged Israel to establish another border crossing in northern Gaza so that additional aid can be sent there.

The US and Israel stated that over 250 relief trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday. Miller went on to say, “We need to see dramatically more go in.”

However, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy stated that Israel was not imposing any aid limits and was supporting increasing shipments of food, medicine, and other supplies, blaming the problems on inadequate UN distribution in Gaza.

“We’re working with the private sector, working with airdrops as well,” Levy said in a statement. “Send the aid, we’ll get it in.”

The Biden administration faced rising calls from other Democrats to put more pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, with some threatening to cut off military aid if civilian conditions do not improve.

The bargain proposed to Hamas for Gaza would liberate some of the captives it still holds following the October 7 attack, which Israel claimed killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253. Palestinian detainees detained in Israel would likewise be released.