Negotiations Underway for a Humanitarian Ceasefire in Gaza

As the war on Gaza enters its 34th day, a three-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza is being negotiated in exchange for the release of roughly twelve hostages that Hamas is holding, according to the Associated Press.

Update 6: The International Labor Organization (ILO), a UN agency, made a USD 20 million (EGP 618 million) appeal to donors on 9 November for funds to respond to the effects on Palestinian workers caused by the war on Gaza.

Update 5: Israel agreed to pause military operations for four hours a day starting on 9 November, according to a statement by the White House.

Update 4: The towns of Ramieh, Aita al-Shaab, and Beit Lev in southern Lebanon were bombarded by artillery from the Israeli army, WAFA reports.

There have been no reported casualties from Israeli bombing of the outskirts of Ramiya and Beit Lev so far. Israeli attacks on border villages in the Lebanese border area are still ongoing.

Update 3: French President Emmanuel Macron stated Israel has an “eminent responsibility of abiding by law” in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7.

He made these remarks at the opening of a Paris conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza on Thursday, 9 November.

According to Macron, civilians in Gaza are “paying the price” of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the populace “has to be protected.” He declared that both countries need to work towards a ceasefire and that there needed to be an immediate humanitarian pause in Gaza.

Update 2: A three-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza is being negotiated in exchange for the release of roughly twelve hostages that Hamas is holding, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, 9 November.

Two Egyptian officials—one from the UN and one from a Western country—who discussed diplomatic efforts on condition of anonymity told Associated Press.

The deal is being brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, according to the officials and the diplomat.

Update 1: After Israel’s announcement that it was strengthening its “stranglehold” on Gaza City, 50,000 civilians had left north Gaza for the south, the Israeli army reported on Wednesday, 8 November.

Residents in the north have been warned by the Israeli military on several occasions to leave. The 2.3 million people that make up Gaza are already densely populated in hospitals, schools, and other locations in the south due to the large number of displaced people.

THE CONFLICT SO FAR

After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.

Over 10,569 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including at least 4,324 children and 2,823 women — and over 26,000 others injured. Meanwhile, at least 163 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and at least 2,200 have been injured.

The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been de-escalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and limited aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.