The Israeli military claims that Israeli forces have discovered a major Hamas command center in Gaza City. Egypt is seeking to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for talks with visiting Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Israeli military discovered the Hamas command center in Gaza City
According to the Associated Press and the Times of Israel, on the evening of December 20, Major General Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said at a press conference that the Israeli army had begun fighting Hamas militants in the area near Daraj-Tuffah in Gaza City, where Hamas's last battalion in the northern Gaza Strip was still stationed. This indicates that the military appears to be close to ending its ground military operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Maj. Gen. Hagari also described the network of Hamas tunnels hidden beneath Palestine Square in Gaza City, where senior Hamas leaders planned a large-scale attack on 7 October. "Through this infrastructure, they are able to control the entire Gaza Strip," he said. From the centre of Gaza City, Hamas Senior Level** is able to reach Shifa Hospital, leave by ambulance for the southern region, and then return to Shifa Hospital for access to the tunnel network. Then, head north to Rantisi Hospital. ”
The IDF said the Israeli army has control over Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya and several other areas in the northern Gaza Strip and is committed to destroying the military presence of Hamas battalions. It will only take a few days to complete the operation in Shejaya.
On the morning of 21 December, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had carried out air strikes on some 230 Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, and that heavy fighting continued in the northern Gaza Strip. In Jabaliya, Gaza City, the Israeli army's 551st Brigade cleared a school where civilians had taken refuge and found Hamas belonging to Hamas inside. At Shati Camp on the northern coast of the Gaza Strip, the 14th Brigade spotted a group of Hamas** and called for an airstrike.
The IDF is expected to remain in the northern Gaza Strip for an extended period of time, continuing to destroy Hamas's infrastructure, including the group's tunnel network and storage rooms.
Egypt seeks to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
Reuters reported on December 21 that this was the first visit by Hamas leader Haniyeh to Egypt in more than a month and held talks with Egypt, which seeks to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt, Hania's adviser Taher al-Nono said Hamas was reluctant to discuss the release of more Israeli hostages if Israel did not end its military operations in the Gaza Strip and increase the amount of humanitarian aid it provided to Palestinian civilians.
"After these two things are reached, we can start negotiating the issue of the hostages," Nono said. In the context of Israel's continued aggression against the Gaza Strip, we cannot open negotiations on the relevant hostages. The discussion of any hostage-related proposal must take place after Israel has ceased its aggression against the Gaza Strip. ”
Hamas refused to negotiate in the event of a suspension of Israeli military operations and said it would only negotiate on the issue of a permanent ceasefire. "We have held talks with our brothers in Egypt to outline our position on this aggression against the Gaza Strip and the urgent need to stop it," Nono said. ”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller Palestinian Islamic militant group, has also taken some Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it will also visit Egypt in the coming days and discuss a possible end to the war in Gaza.
According to anonymous sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Israel insists on the release of all the women and frail men remaining in the hostages, and Palestinian prisoners convicted of serious crimes may be included in the list that can be released. Negotiations between the two sides are very intense, and a breakthrough is likely to be achieved within a few days.
A Palestinian** said that Chaniyeh was eager to listen to Egypt's views and seek a new feasible solution. Hamas's official position is to reject any new temporary ceasefire and demand a permanent cessation of fighting.
"Hamas's position remains that they do not want a temporary ceasefire agreement of a humanitarian nature, and Hamas wants to put an end to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip once and for all," the Palestinian said. "Haniyeh and Hamas have always appreciated Egypt's efforts. He came to Cairo today to find out if Israel has made new proposals, or if Cairo has some proposals as well. It's too early to talk about expectations. ”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who usually resides in Qatar, has only publicly intervened diplomatically when progress is possible. His last trip to Egypt was in early November, when Hamas announced the only temporary ceasefire to date, a one-week ceasefire, during which more than 100 hostages were released.
On December 20, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel's position that the war will end only if Hamas is eliminated, all hostages are released and the Gaza Strip no longer poses a security threat to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "Anyone who thinks we will stop is out of touch with reality, and all Hamas *** from the first to the last, are the walking dead." ”
At present, Israel is facing increasing pressure from its international allies to curb the intensity of its military operations in the Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli **high-level** reiterated the country's position that the war in the Gaza Strip can be ended only if all hostages are released and Hamas is destroyed.
Over the past 1 week, the United States, Israel's closest ally, has publicly called on Israel to scale down the all-out war into a more targeted military operation against Hamas's leaders and to stop what Biden calls "indiscriminate bombing."
Biden said he was "pushing" the hostage deal negotiations
Agence France-Presse and Reuters reported that the United States** said it was in "very serious" talks for a new ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the release of more Israeli hostages, but remained uncertain whether a final agreement would be reached. Because Hamas insists that nothing will be negotiated without a complete end to the Israeli military offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
On December 20, White House spokesman John Kirby told News ** reporters on Air Force One: "These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope they will come to fruition." ”
On the same day, Biden announced that he does not expect to reach an agreement soon on a second hostage release between Israel and Hamas. However, in a speech to reporters, Biden made it clear that the United States is pushing Israel to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
After Israel launched a massive ground military operation and air assault on the Palestinian seaside enclave, health services in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip said about 20,000 people had died and thousands more bodies believed to be buried under the rubble.
2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip have been brought to the brink of disaster by the war, and 90 percent of residents have been forced to leave their homes and be displaced, according to international aid organizations. The Gaza Strip is now suffering from a severe lack of clean water and health care because of the lack of adequate food, which has led to many people being malnourished.