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| On the 18th (local time), families, relatives, and supporters of hostages held by Hamas are participating in a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. [EPA] |
[Herald Economy=Son Mi-jung Reporter] Observations are being made that negotiations for the release of hostages between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are imminent. Independently, the Israeli military is expanding its ground operation from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip. The U.S. has clearly opposed military operations in the south of Gaza, prioritizing the safety of civilians who have evacuated en masse.
On the 19th (local time), regarding negotiations for the release of hostages and cessation of hostilities, Deputy National Security Advisor John Finner appeared on NBC, ABC, and other broadcasts in succession, stating, “We are closer to resolving negotiations and we can say we are quite close compared to the start of discussions.” He added that “significant progress has been made in a few issues where consensus could not be reached in recent days.” He also added that the number of hostages to be released from Hamas is “at least 12, and possibly dozens.”
The previous day, The Washington Post (WP) also reported, citing sources, that a deal is nearing that would release dozens of women and children held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas in exchange for a five-day cessation of hostilities.
However, Deputy Advisor Finner cautioned, “Negotiations are not settled until they are finally settled,” and said, “We cannot get ahead of the ongoing discussions.”
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| On the 18th (local time), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a press conference in Tel Aviv. [Xinhua News Agency] |
On the same day, Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., also appeared on ABC and revealed that negotiations could be concluded soon. While he did not mention the specific details of the negotiations, he said, “We hope that a significant number of hostages can be released within a few days.” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, also expressed confidence in the resolution of hostage negotiations, saying, “The stumbling block for the resolution of hostage negotiations is very trivial.”
Israel, which has effectively declared a ‘southern advance’ in the Gaza Strip, is expanding its offensive against Hamas from the north to the south, separate from the negotiations. This is based on the judgment that the Hamas leadership and organization members who were close to the northern cities, including the largest city in the Gaza Strip, Gaza City, have moved south.
On the same day, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that 31 people, including two local journalists, were killed late the previous night in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Nuseirat refugee camp located in the middle of Gaza. The Palestinian side also announced that women and children were killed in an airstrike overnight, following the death of 26 people in the southern city of Khan Yunis from Israeli shelling the previous morning.
Reuters reported, “The Israeli airstrikes on the areas considered to be Hamas hideouts are increasing,” and conveyed that “this is a signal that Israel is expanding its offensive to the southern region.”
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| On the 18th (local time), the search for survivors is ongoing in the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip’s Khan Yunis refugee camp. [AP] |
The Israeli military’s ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip has already been announced several times. The previous day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant emphasized at a press conference, “We are reaching all places related to Hamas and attacking them,” and said, “The space where Hamas can operate is decreasing every day, and they will soon realize this in the south as well.”
In advance of this, on the 16th, the Israeli military also notified residents of small towns located in the eastern part of Khan Yunis, such as Bani Suhaila, Khuza’a, Abasan, and Karara, to evacuate to the west.
Meanwhile, the United States, Israel’s largest ally, has warned Israel not to rush military operations in the south. The argument is that the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip, who have fled from the north to the south to escape Israeli airstrikes, is the top priority. It is estimated that two-thirds of the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip are currently staying in the south as the north has become ruins.
In another interview with CBS on the same day, Deputy Advisor Finner said, “If there is a possibility that Israel will embark on military operations including the south, we believe they have the right to do so,” but also stated, “We believe that operations should not proceed until civilians are included in the military operation plan (in the south).”
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