Hamas says it is studying in a “positive spirit” the latest truce offer associated with the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip where nearly seven months of deadly war have caused “unprecedented” destruction according to the UN. An Israeli hostage has been declared dead, Israeli authorities and relatives announced early Friday.
Information to remember
⇒ Israeli hostage held by Hamas declared dead
⇒ Truce in Gaza: Hamas is in a “positive spirit”
⇒ Turkey suspends trade relations with Israel
Israeli hostage declared dead
An Israeli hostage held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attacks on October 7 has been declared dead, Israeli authorities and relatives announced early Friday. Dror Or, aged 49, was killed and held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, Kibbutz Be’eri where he lived and whose residents were among the most affected by the attack said in a statement. in Israeli territory of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
His wife, Yonat, was killed during this assault while two of their three children, Noam and Alma, aged 17 and 13 respectively, were kidnapped and then released as part of a truce agreement at the end of November. “It is now confirmed that Dror Or, kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, was assassinated and his body held in Gaza,” the Israeli government indicated on its official X account, specifying that Alma, Noam and their brother Yahli were now orphans.
Hamas in a “positive spirit”
Hamas is studying in a “positive spirit” the new offer on the table, for a 40-day break in the fighting, its leader, Ismaïl Haniyeh, said Thursday in a telephone conversation with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel. During this interview, Mr. Haniyeh “confirmed” that a delegation from the movement would go to Egypt “shortly” to complete recent discussions with a view to a possible agreement which “responds to the demands of our people” and “puts end to aggression.”
The leader of Hamas, whose movement is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, also spoke with the Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs, to whom he repeated his wish to “reach an agreement” . These comments clash with those the day before of a leader of the movement who spoke of a currently “negative” position of Hamas regarding these negotiations. Hamas, which took power in 2007 in Gaza, maintains its demands, first and foremost a permanent ceasefire, which Israel has always refused.
Turkey suspends trade relations with Israel
Turkey suspended its trade relations with Israel on Thursday in response to the war in Gaza, a new step in the deterioration of relations between the two countries. “Exports and imports in relation to Israel have been suspended,” announced in a press release the Turkish Ministry of Commerce, which had already restricted the exports of Turkish companies to Israel in April.
“Turkey will apply these new measures strictly until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” the ministry added. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said earlier Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had “broken the agreements [entre Israël et la Turquie] by blocking Israeli imports and exports at ports.
The head of Israeli diplomacy said he wanted to “create alternatives to trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.”
Eight Syrian soldiers injured
Israeli airstrikes injured eight Syrian soldiers near Damascus, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced Friday. On Thursday evening, “the Israeli enemy launched airstrikes from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site near Damascus […] injuring eight soldiers,” the ministry said in a statement.
Blinken’s call
Visiting Israel on Wednesday, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas to say “yes” to an agreement that he considered “extraordinarily generous” on Israel’s part. He also urged Israel to abandon a ground offensive on the city of Rafah, the last major bastion of the Islamist movement according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where there are a million and a half Palestinians, the majority displaced by the war.
“We will do what is necessary to win and defeat our enemy, including in Rafah,” Benjamin Netanyahu repeated on Thursday, after promising to launch a ground offensive there, “with or without an agreement” of truce.