VBefore Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’ visit to Israel, a high-ranking member of Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip, did not rule out an early ceasefire with Israel. “I think there will likely be a truce in the next two days. God knows when the mediators can reach an agreement, ”the Israeli media quoted Hamas leader Mussa Abu Marzuk on Thursday night. However, he demanded that Israel take the first step. “If Israel stops shooting at Gaza, we will stop firing at Tel Aviv,” he quoted as saying the Israeli news site “ynet”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, demands that the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip must stop first. On Wednesday, Netanyahu rejected a call by US President Joe Biden for “clear de-escalation on the way to a ceasefire”. “I am determined to continue this operation until it reaches its destination,” he said on Twitter.
Air alert in Israel, attacks in Gaza
On Thursday night there were again air alarms in communities near the Gaza Strip and also in Beersheva, 40 kilometers away. Tens of thousands of Israelis had to go into the shelters. At first nothing was known about rocket impacts. The Israeli air force again attacked targets in the coastal strip that night. There was initially no information about new victims.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 219 people have died in the mutual shelling in the Gaza Strip and around 1,530 have been injured. According to official information, there were twelve dead and hundreds injured in Israel.
Foreign Minister Maas plans to go on a one-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Thursday to explore what the international community can do to help bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. Israel’s ambassador to Berlin, Jeremy Issacharoff, sees the trip as more than just a symbolic gesture. “He is Germany’s foreign minister, and Germany is traditionally seen as a close ally,” he told the German press agency. The German position is therefore also given weight. “It’s not just a symbolic gesture, it’s a message of solidarity,” added Issacharoff.
Issacharoff also paid tribute to Germany’s support for Israel in the past few days. “The federal government has also understood that it is not just about defending yourself, but also about preventing the rocket fire not only for today or next month, but for a longer period of time,” he said.
.
#Gaza #conflict #Maas #travels #Middle #East #Hamas #speculates #ceasefire
source https://pledgetimes.com/gaza-conflict-maas-travels-to-the-middle-east-hamas-speculates-on-a-ceasefire/
Disqus comments