TEL AVIV, Israel-- A delicate truce between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with the militant group promising to launch more hostages to postpone the expected resumption of the war and Israel under growing pressure to spare Palestinian civilians when it restores its offensive.
For the first time because the cease-fire started, Israel and Hamas traded allegations of a severe violation. The Israeli military said three explosive devices were detonated near its soldiers at 2 places in northern Gaza, and that militants at one website opened fire on the troops, who fired back. It stated its soldiers remained in positions in accordance with the terms of the truce,
Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of devoting a "" blatant breach of the ceasefire,"" setting off retaliation by its fighters, without supplying details. It said in a statement that it "" was still devoted to the cease-fire so long as the opponent is dedicated to it,"" and urged conciliators to step in.
If the exchange postured a risk to the truce, it was not immediately clear. It underscored the fragility of the truce in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces and Hamas fighters are holding their positions in close distance to each other, each preparing for a prospective resumption of battling when the cease-fire ends.
The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with another two planned exchanges of militant-held captives for Palestinians sent to prison by Israel. Israel has actually promised to resume the war with "" full force"" to ruin Hamas once it'& #x 27; s clear that no more hostages will be freed under the offer. The Biden administration has actually informed Israel it need to prevent "" considerable further displacement"" and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes the offensive, and that it must run with more accuracy in southern Gaza than it has in the north, according to U.S. authorities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, who heads Israel'& #x 27; s Mossad intelligence company, remained in Qatar, a crucial mediator with Hamas, to discuss extending the cease-fire and launching more captives, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity due to the fact that of the sensitivity of the talks. A U.S. official confirmed Burns remained in Qatar, speaking anonymously because the director'& #x 27; s itinerary are not publicized for security factors.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the area today, also with an eye to extending the truce.
Hamas and other militants are still holding about 160 people, out of the 240 taken in their Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel that ignited the war. That'& #x 27; s enough to potentially extend the truce for another two weeks under the existing framework brokered by the Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., but Hamas is anticipated to make much higher demands for the release of captive soldiers.
Israel has vowed to end Hamas' & #x 27; 16-year guideline in Gaza and crush its military capabilities. That would probably need expanding the ground offensive from northern Gaza - where entire houses have actually been pounded into rubble - to the south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have loaded into overruning United Nations shelters.
An extra 19 hostages were launched in different settlements, including 17 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli. Far, 150 Palestinians have actually been launched from Israeli jails. Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional captives launched.
The Palestinian detainees launched up until now have actually been primarily teens accused of throwing stones and firebombs during conflicts with Israeli forces. Some were founded guilty by Israeli courts of trying to perform fatal attacks. The prisoners are extensively seen by Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation.
Most of the freed captives seemed physically well, however an 84-year-old woman released Sunday was hospitalized in vital condition due to the fact that she had actually not had access to her medication in captivity. They have primarily avoided of the general public eye, however details of their captivity have started to emerge.
In one of the very first interviews with a freed captive, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel'& #x 27; s Channel 13 television that she was at first fed well in captivity but that conditions aggravated as shortages took hold. She stated she was kept in a "" suffocating"" room and slept on plastic chairs with a sheet for almost 50 days.
The cease-fire has actually allowed residents who stayed in Gaza City and other parts of the north to venture out to survey the destruction and attempt to find and bury relatives. Video from northern Gaza, the focus of the Israeli ground offensive, reveals almost every structure damaged or damaged.
A U.N.-led aid consortium estimates that over 234,000 homes have actually been harmed across Gaza and 46,000 have actually been totally ruined, amounting to around 60% of the real estate stock in the territory, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. In the north, the destruction of homes and civilian facilities "" seriously compromises the capability to fulfill basic requirements to sustain life,"" it stated.
More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed because the war started, roughly two-thirds of them minors and women, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and contenders. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, primarily civilians killed in the initial attack.
Israeli troops have disallowed individuals from returning to the north during the cease-fire.
Numerous countless individuals have actually packed into Other centers and u.n.-run schools, with numerous forced to sleep on the streets outside due to the fact that of overcrowding. It'& #x 27; s unclear where they would go if Israel expands its ground operation, as Egypt has actually refused to accept refugees and Israel has actually sealed its border.
The U.N. says the truce made it possible to scale up the shipment of water, food and medication to the largest volume considering that the start of the war, and to generate desperately needed fuel for homes, health centers and water treatment plants. However the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the combating, even as humanitarian requirements have skyrocketed.
4 days into the truce, residents were still awaiting hours to buy gas and cooking fuel.
Juliette Toma, a spokesperson for the U.N. firm for Palestinian refugees, stated individuals concern shelters requesting heavy clothes, blankets and mattresses, which some are oversleeping damaged lorries.
"" The needs are frustrating,"" she told The Associated Press. "" They lost whatever, and they require whatever."".
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press authors Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in
Washington, Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
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