Middle East: Hostage talks resume

In Qatar, talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are set to resume after a long standoff. Meanwhile, Israel continues to crack down on Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war are set to resume today in Qatar after Israel’s retaliatory attack against Iran. The Pentagon said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart, Zoe Gallant, to say that Iran “must not make any mistakes” in response to Israeli attacks. Opportunities now exist to reduce “tensions in the region through diplomatic channels”.

These include an agreement on the Gaza war and an accord with Hezbollah in Lebanon that will allow civilians on both sides of the border with Israel to safely return to their homes.

Israeli representatives are meeting with mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States in the Qatari capital Doha today to give fresh impetus to months-long talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Protest again in Israel

Earlier in the evening, hundreds of people protested again in Israel for a deal to release hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Since the killing of Hamas leader Jihia Shinwar in the Gaza Strip in mid-October, negotiators in the region have had little hope of restarting ceasefire talks.

David Barnia, head of Israel’s foreign secret service, Mossad, traveled to Doha today. Israel is demanding the release of 100 more hostages in Gaza, many of whom are not believed to be alive.

Heavy criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu

According to Israeli media reports, an official in Barnia’s negotiating team is said to have told relatives of the abductees that a hostage deal would require an end to the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip — a move that is currently uncertain. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to give his own negotiating team enough mandate to steer today’s talks in Doha to substantive results.

At a rally in Tel Aviv, speakers lashed out at Netanyahu and accused him of delaying the secret talks. “Who do you want to blame now that Sinwar is dead? The hostages cited the brother of the Hamas hostage.”

Chinwar’s death “creates an opportunity to maybe actually move forward and reach an agreement,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during his recent visit to the Middle East.

There has been no progress in the talks for months

There has been no progress in the talks for months. There was hope in Israel that this situation might change after Sinwar’s killing. However, Hamas has stuck to its previous positions, including a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and an end to the war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to take action against the Islamic terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. At least 30 Palestinians were killed in the attack in northern Gaza, according to local news. 5 houses were hit in a residential area of ​​the border town of Beit Lahia. Israel’s military has not yet commented on the matter, and information from either side is generally not independently verifiable.

Three weeks of offensive in northern Gaza

The Israeli Air Force says it has struck a Hamas command center in the northern city of Gaza again. It was said that night that it was in a building that had previously been used as a school. Prior to the “precision strike”, several measures were taken to minimize the risk to the public. This information cannot be independently verified.

Israel’s armed forces have been conducting offensive operations in the northern Gaza Strip for three weeks. According to Palestinian sources, hundreds of civilians were also killed.

Hezbollah continues to shell Israel

During the night, Israel’s air force continued to carry out strikes against Hamas-allied Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Israel has again targeted the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported.

An Israeli military spokesman earlier asked residents of the two neighborhoods to evacuate their homes via Platform X. They are close to Hezbollah facilities and action will be taken against them soon. Like the Islamist Hamas, Hezbollah militants are part of the Iran-led “axis of resistance” against Israel.

Despite Israel’s heavy military offensive against Hezbollah, the militants continue to shell the Jewish state. The Israeli military said in the evening that about 190 projectiles were fired at Israel on Saturday. Shortly after, warning sirens wailed again in northern Israel. The military said overnight that two drones that had crossed into Israel from Lebanon had been intercepted over open terrain.

Iran said soldiers were killed after the attack

Israel launched a retaliatory attack on Iran on Saturday night that had been expected for weeks. This was in response to an Iranian attack on October 1, in which approximately 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel. Four soldiers were killed in an Israeli retaliatory attack, according to the Iranian military.