GAZA: Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to salvage the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, according to Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News TV, which is close to the country’s security agencies.
The fragile ceasefire is facing a significant test after Hamas said it would delay the next release of hostages scheduled for Saturday, alleging Israel has violated the truce by firing on people in Gaza and not allowing the agreed-upon number of tents, shelters and other vital aid to enter the territory.
Since the truce started on Jan. 19, Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others, said Munir Al-Bursh, director general of the Health Ministry, on Tuesday. The Israeli military says it has fired on people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in violation of the truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the support of President Donald Trump, has warned that Israel would resume fighting if hostages are not freed on Saturday. Trump has threated that “all hell” will break out if the militant group does not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Saturday.
The United Nations said Wednesday that since the start of the ceasefire in Gaza, its agencies and partners have fed 1.2 million people, provided shelter aid to more than 600,000 people and provided water and waste disposal services to nearly half a million.
In a briefing, the UN said it opened 37 shelters for Palestinians returning to the war-battered north, where they were providing tents, blankets and warm clothing. At least 644,000 people across the territory had received tents, tarps or sealing-off materials to improve their shelter conditions.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on Jan. 19, has paused the war in Gaza and sent aid flowing more freely to Palestinians in need. The war sparked a humanitarian crisis in the territory.
The top Sunni Muslim religious authority slams Trump’s plan for Gaza
Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost seat of religious learning, on Wednesday threw its support behind Egypt’s rejection of President Donald Trump’s plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip.
“No one has the right to force the Palestinian people to accept unworkable proposals,” the Cairo-based institution said in a statement. “The whole world must respect the right of the Palestinians to live on their land and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
It called for Arab and Muslim leaders as well as “the world’s wise people” to reject “transfer plans that aim at destroying the Palestinian cause.” Al-Azhar also called on religious institutions around the world to use their influence and defend “the vulnerable in Palestine.”