Senior Hamas official: We are holding direct talks with US on Gaza ceasefire
The news agency Reuters reported on Sunday that the United States is conducting discussions with Hamas regarding a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
A senior Hamas official confirmed the negotiations to Al Jazeera and said the talks with Washington, which began a few days ago, are being held directly.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a closed discussion today on the situation in the Strip, with the participation of several ministers and senior security officials. On the agenda: advancing a deal for the release of the hostages or resuming fighting in the territory.
As reported today by Kan Reshet Bet, Hamas continues even now to build new tunnels and expand existing ones. In a meeting a few days ago between IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and hostages who had returned from the tunnels, they told him that they had heard people speaking Hebrew above them when IDF troops were operating nearby.
Last Friday, Zamir met with hostage survivors Liri Albag, Romi Gonen, Omer Shem Tov, and Sasha Troufanov.
The chief of staff inquired whether they had heard IDF troops while in the tunnels, and they revealed that they had heard Hebrew above them when IDF soldiers were operating near the tunnels where they were being held.
"We heard explosions, IDF tank chains, we heard Hebrew, we heard IDF radio communications in Hebrew while we were underground," they told Zamir.
So far, the IDF has managed to destroy only about one quarter of Hamas’ existing tunnels in Gaza. Military officials expressed concern over the phenomenon of tunnel rehabilitation and construction. Hamas militants hide in the tunnels in an attempt to avoid fighting with IDF soldiers. When they emerge, they plant explosives and fire anti-tank missiles at the forces, and then flee back into the tunnels.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues preparations for the next phase of fighting, with the goal of "replicating the Rafah model," as a senior officer described it. The source said Hamas fears losing territory and its control over the population.
"Hamas is under pressure – this is the call of the hour: to mobilize reserves, conquer territory, and hold on to it," the official said.
Written by KAN 11 correspondents Ishai Bar-Yosef, Roi Kais and Suleiman Maswadeh.
Kan.org.il is the Hebrew news website of the The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
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