The Palestinian militant group Hamas mentioned on Tuesday it had delivered its response to a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza that may additionally contain the discharge of hostages, and the United States mentioned it nonetheless believed an settlement was doable. No particulars of the response had been instantly accessible.

The Israeli prime minister’s workplace mentioned late on Tuesday that the main points of the Hamas response had been being “thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a lightning tour of the Middle East, mentioned Washington was reviewing the Hamas response and that he would focus on it with Israeli officers when he visits the nation on Wednesday.

However, US President Joe Biden, whereas acknowledging “some movement” on a deal, described the Hamas response as “a little over the top”, with out elaborating. “We’re not sure where it is. There’s continuing negotiations right now,” he mentioned in Washington.

In Doha, Blinken mentioned, “There’s still a lot of work to do be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible, and indeed essential.” He spoke at a information convention with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani after Hamas delivered its response.

Sheikh Mohammed described the Hamas response as “positive” total but in addition declined to give any particulars.

In its assertion, Hamas mentioned it had “dealt with the proposal in a positive spirit, ensuring a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, ending the aggression against our people, ensuring relief, shelter, and reconstruction, lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and achieving a prisoner swap”.

A Hamas official who requested not to be recognized reiterated to Reuters earlier on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist motion wouldn’t permit any hostage releases with out ensures that the warfare would and Israeli forces go away Gaza.

HOSTAGES

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will struggle on till Hamas is worn out. But there’s additionally a rising Israeli motion demanding extra effort to deliver the hostages residence, even when meaning a deal with Hamas.

A ballot launched by a nonpartisan think-tank, the Israel Democracy Institute, discovered 51% of respondents imagine recovering the hostages needs to be the principle purpose of the warfare, whereas 36% mentioned it needs to be toppling Hamas.

Israel’s chief navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari mentioned on Tuesday that 31 of the remaining hostages held in Gaza had been pronounced lifeless. Israel has beforehand mentioned 136 hostages had been nonetheless being held in Gaza after 110 had been launched underneath the one truce agreed to this point, in November when Israel additionally launched 240 Palestinians it was holding.

Israel started its navy offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 folks and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says a minimum of 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israel’s navy marketing campaign, with 1000’s extra feared buried underneath rubble.

Israel, which is urgent on with its offensive deep into elements of the Gaza Strip now sheltering lots of of 1000’s of individuals displaced from earlier preventing, mentioned its forces had killed dozens of Palestinian gunmen up to now 24 hours.

Palestinians hope Blinken’s diplomatic push will nail down a ceasefire earlier than Israeli forces storm the southern city of Rafah, the place greater than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million folks at the moment are sheltering, primarily in public buildings and tents created from sheets of plastic, laborious towards the border with Egypt.

The proposed deal, drawn up greater than per week in the past by US and Israeli spy chiefs at a gathering with the Egyptians and Qataris, would safe the discharge of remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for an extended pause to preventing.

Sources shut to the talks have mentioned the truce would final a minimum of 40 days, throughout which militants would free civilians among the many remaining hostages they maintain. Further phases would comply with, to hand over troopers and lifeless our bodies of hostages, in alternate for releases of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

RELENTLESS PRESSURE

Israeli forces on Tuesday saved up strain on Khan Younis, the principle southern metropolis they’ve been making an attempt to seize for weeks. Aerial and tank bombardment thundered via the town in a single day, with a minimum of 14 folks killed by air strikes for the reason that pre-dawn hours, Palestinian residents and medics mentioned.

Rafah, simply south of it, was additionally hit by air strikes and tank shelling. Palestinian well being officers mentioned the lifeless there included six policemen whose automotive was hit.

Israeli leaders say Rafah is now a bastion of Hamas fight models and vowed final week to push into the city subsequent, alarming worldwide support companies who say 1,000,000 displaced civilians can be in hurt’s method, pinned towards the border fence.

One Israeli official advised Reuters efforts had been underneath method to coordinate any floor assault with Egypt, together with plans to evacuate displaced Palestinians northwards.

Mahmoud Amer and his household had pitched their tent in a cemetery in Rafah, hoping they might be safer residing among the many lifeless, together with the warfare’s victims in freshly dug graves.

“It’s better than living in residential areas where the houses could collapse on our heads,” mentioned Amer. “There is no water, no proper aid coming in. The situation is so bad. The dead are in comfort, while we, the living, are in pain.”