Gaza residents hope for ceasefire. “This is our last chance”

On the one hand, there are declarations that a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages are getting closer, and on the other, warnings that the weekend peace talks in Cairo are in danger. “I think that if there is no agreement this month, there will be no agreement in the future. This is our last chance,” says Majd Hamid, a resident of Gaza.

On Thursday, the Israeli negotiating team flew to Egypt, and on Friday, the CIA director, who leads the American team, left, but Hamas has not yet declared whether it will take part in the talks. “We, Hamas, have confirmed to the mediators that we do not need new negotiations or new ideas. There is a proposal that we have approved and all we need is its implementation,” says Osama Hamdan, a Hamas member.

SEE ALSO: “NYT”: Israel's army has achieved everything it could in the Gaza Strip

According to foreign media, in recent weeks Benjamin Netanyahu has added new conditions to the ceasefire, which has provoked opposition from both Hamas and the authorities in Cairo. This is primarily about maintaining the presence of Israeli forces in the so-called Netzarim corridor, which cuts through the Gaza Strip, and the Philadelphia Corridor along the border with Egypt, through which Hamas transferred weapons to Gaza.

Israel cites security concerns and denies reports suggesting it is considering allowing international forces to be deployed there. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is sticking to the premise that Israel will control the Philadelphia Corridor to prevent Hamas from remilitarizing, which could allow it to repeat the atrocity of October 7,” the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Wednesday, both stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement, but Israeli officials appear to be deaf to the appeals of their allies and their own citizens. “The most important thing from my point of view is to remember the goals of this war and to fulfill them, including in the context of the hostages,” says Yoav Callan, Israel’s defense minister.

After Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages in recent days, Israelis accused their own government of delaying the ceasefire by undermining the chances of Hamas-snatched hostages returning home alive, a theory that Donald Trump also offered during a visit to Arizona. “A lot of hostages are dead. That's why Hamas doesn't want to negotiate much, because they can't hand over many people alive to Israel,” the US presidential candidate said.

READ ALSO: He believed that peace was possible. The bodies of Alex Dancyg and other hostages were brought

Hamas claimed that the six hostages were killed in Israeli attacks, but preliminary forensic examinations conducted by the Israelis showed that their bodies showed gunshot wounds.

During a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister, one of the rescued Israeli women spoke for the first time about her experiences during her nine-month captivity. “It's sad that the whole world is talking about what our army is doing in Gaza, but they don't see what the terrorists are doing to us. I had cuts all over my body and I was beaten everywhere. No one gave me any medical help,” said Noa Argamani, a released hostage.

As diplomacy fails, the tragedy for civilians in Gaza continues. The Israelis have issued more evacuation orders for Palestinians, and according to CNN, the so-called safe area for civilians has shrunk by almost 40 percent in the past month. “The Israeli army is ordering us to evacuate from one area to another. There is no hope left in negotiations,” says Mohammed Al-Khaldy.

SEE ALSO: Mohammad was 9, Kamal was 3. This is what everyday life looks like for children in the Gaza Strip

Israel must now also explain its alleged destruction of water systems in the Gaza Strip, where residents, including children, have been drinking water from puddles. All because of a video allegedly posted online by an Israeli soldier, which shows two soldiers apparently attaching explosives to pumps in a reservoir in Rafah, which he then blows up.

The Israeli military admitted that it had been operating in the area for several weeks, “dismantling terrorist infrastructure.” It stressed that it was investigating reports of deleted recordings.