As Israel increasingly takes action against the Islamist Hamas in southern Gaza, mediators are trying to reach a new ceasefire.
The news ticker.
Offensive
in the
Gaza Strip
: Israel kills dozens of terrorists
Solutions for the
war
in
the Middle East
: Hamas open to releasing hostages from the Gaza Strip
The information processed here about the war in Israel and the fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip
comes from local and international media as well as news agencies.
Much of the information cannot be independently verified.
Update from January 24th, 10:55 a.m.:
According to eyewitness reports, thousands of Palestinians are once again on the run due to the fierce fighting in the area of the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to information on Wednesday, many fled in cars or on foot towards the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.
The UN emergency relief office OCHA said overnight that evacuation calls from the Israeli army affected an area of around four square kilometers in Khan Yunis.
There are around 88,000 residents in the region, plus an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people who sought protection in 24 schools and other facilities.
Israel News: Will there be a ceasefire in the Israel war?
First report
: Tel Aviv/Gaza - Hopes for a possible new agreement to free Israeli hostages from the grip of Hamas in return for a longer break in fighting have increased, the newspaper
The Times of Israel
reported on Wednesday night (January 24).
+
Bombings in Khan Yunis: The city is at the center of Israeli attacks.
© Mohammed Dahman/dpa
Israel News: Hamas reportedly open to hostage release talks
According to a media report, Hamas is said to have shown itself open to negotiating the release of some Israeli hostages.
The Islamists have told mediators they are willing to talk about the release of the female civilians and children in return for a "significant" ceasefire, the
Wall Street Journal
reported on Tuesday, citing Egyptian officials.
During a week-long ceasefire at the end of November last year, Hamas released 105 hostages.
In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons.
Hamas has so far linked any further release of hostages to an end to the war.
According to Israeli government information, terrorists are still holding around 130 people who they kidnapped from Israel into the Gaza Strip during their attack on October 7th.
Among them were Israeli soldiers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Israeli government believes that 105 hostages are still alive and many of them are being held in Hamas' underground tunnel network.
Before the War in Israel: The History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict in Pictures
Before the War in Israel: The History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict in Pictures
According to information from the news portal Axios,
Israel is said
to have proposed a two-month ceasefire in return for the release of all hostages.
The offer was handed over to mediators from Egypt and Qatar, who are currently trying to bridge the gap between the different demands.
While the latest development is positive, it does not mean that an agreement is imminent, wrote the
Wall Street Journal
.
The talks could still fail, according to Egyptian officials.
Israel's army: more than 100 terrorists killed in Khan Yunis in the Israel war
Meanwhile, Israel's army says it has killed dozens more terrorists in the Khan Yunis area in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that more than 100 terrorists were “eliminated” in the west of the city on Tuesday.
The information could not initially be independently verified.
The army said it had surrounded the city, which is considered a Hamas stronghold, the day before.
Israel suspects that Hamas leaders and Israeli hostages are in underground tunnels there.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, which terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups carried out in southern Israel on October 7th.
They murdered 1,200 people.
Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 25,000 people have been killed so far.
The number can hardly be verified independently.
(talk to agencies)
Category list image: © Mohammed Dahman/dpa