Israel is ready for a second humanitarian pause in its war with Hamas to free hostages.
Israel wants a pause in the war with Hamas
Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with ambassadors from about 80 countries. He stressed that among the hostages held by Hamas militants are infants, the elderly, the sick, the wounded and, of course, many women.
"I can repeat that Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian assistance in order to release the hostages. And the responsibility for this lies entirely with Sinwar (Hamas head in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar - ed.) and the Hamas leadership, Herzog added.
It is worth noting that of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas during the Israeli invasion on 7 October, 129 remain in the Gaza Strip.
105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a week-long truce in late November.
What is known about the new truce between Israel and Hamas
According to the newspaper's journalists, the parties are ready to hold a new round of talks on the release of Israeli hostages and a pause in hostilities, but differ in their views on the implementation of these agreements.
Egyptian security sources said that Cairo and Doha, which had previously agreed on a week-long ceasefire and the release of hostages, insisted on speeding up the delivery of aid and opening the Kerem Shalom crossing before the talks began.
According to one Israeli official, the aid was allowed to enter Gaza after Egyptian sources initially reported that it had been detained.
Hopes for peace rose on Saturday when a source said that the Israeli intelligence chief had spoken to the Qatari prime minister on Friday.
At the same time, Hamas terrorists demand that a list of hostages to be released be drawn up unilaterally, and that Israeli troops be withdrawn beyond pre-determined borders.
While Israel has agreed that the list will be determined by Hamas, sources said it would like to set a time frame and see the list before deciding on the timing and duration of the ceasefire.
For its part, Israel refuses to withdraw its troops, the sources added. Hamas says that a complete ceasefire is a prerequisite for the release of hostages, the sources said.
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