Tel Aviv-Yafo:Protesters released balloons in southern Israel Sunday marking nine months since the country’s war with Hamas began, calling for elections and the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Some 1500 back and yellow balloons were released, with the black representing people who were killed since Oct. 7, and the yellow for hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas’ October attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.
Israel says Hamas is still holding about 120 hostages — about a third of them now thought to be dead.
Hamas has given its initial approval of a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war, a Hamas official and an Egyptian official said Saturday.
The apparent compromise by the militant group, which controlled Gaza before triggering the war with an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks on ending a devastating nine months of fighting.
But all sides cautioned that a deal is still not guaranteed.
Over that period, Hamas, Israel and mediators would negotiate the terms of the second phase that could see the release of the remaining male hostages, both civilians and soldiers, the first two officials said.
In return, Israel would free additional Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The third phase would include the return of any remaining hostages, including bodies of the dead, and the start of a years-long reconstruction project.
Hamas still wants written guarantees from mediators that Israel will continue to negotiate a permanent cease-fire deal once the first phase goes into effect, the two officials said.
Months of on-again off-again cease-fire talks have stumbled over Hamas’ demand that any deal include a complete end to the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered to pause the fighting but not end it until Israel reaches its goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and returning all hostages held by the militant group.
Hamas has expressed concern that Israel will restart the war after the hostages are released.
Israeli officials have said they are worried Hamas will draw out the talks and the initial cease-fire indefinitely without releasing all the hostages.
Netanyahu’s office did not respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate comment from Washington.
On Friday, the Israeli prime minister confirmed that the Mossad spy agency’s chief had paid a lightning visit to Qatar, a key mediator, but his office said “gaps between the parties” remained.
Since then, the Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
The offensive has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, according to international officials.
The cease-fire deal would see around 600 trucks of humanitarian aid entering Gaza daily, with half of them bound for the enclave’s hard-hit north, the two officials said.
Since Israel’s assault on the southernmost city of Rafah, aid supplies entering Gaza have been reduced to a trickle.
The low-level conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued.
An Israeli airstrike on a car in the area of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon killed an engineer in Hezbollah’s air defense unit, the Israeli military said in a statement, describing Meitham Mustafa al-Attar as a “key operative.”
Hezbollah confirmed al-Attar’s death in a statement but did not give information on his position.In recent weeks, fears have risen that the conflict with its near-daily clashes could escalate to a full-scale war.
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