War in Gaza: The lengthy highway to the hostage deal – an summary | EUROtoday

Before extra Hamas attacked Israel lower than a 12 months in the past. Terrorists kidnapped lots of of individuals. Now some hostages are to be launched as a part of an settlement. It was a protracted solution to get there. A chronology.

7 October 2023. The day begins with the sound of sirens. Missile alert. The terrorist group Hamas and different Palestinian militants are attacking Israel this morning. They homicide greater than 1,200 folks within the cities on the border with the Gaza Strip. They rape, loot and burn down homes. And they kidnap about 250 hostages to Gaza.

Israel responded the identical day with air strikes on the Gaza Strip and started mobilizing reservists. According to Palestinian figures, the combating and bombings will price greater than 45,000 Palestinian lives and greater than 100,000 will probably be injured within the coming months.

In addition to destroying Hamas, Israel declares the releasing of the hostages to be one among its struggle targets.

Mediators are struggling to succeed in an settlement

End of November 2023. Under worldwide mediation, Israel agrees to a ceasefire lasting a number of days and the discharge of 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. In change, 105 hostages are launched from the terrorists’ management.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the inhabitants: “We have brought back some of our children, mothers and women,” he says. “But I assure you, the families, the citizens of Israel: we are determined to bring back all of our abductees.”

After the temporary respite, the struggle in Gaza continues – and so do the talks a few new settlement. Negotiators from the USA, Egypt and Qatar try to mediate between Israel and Hamas. An settlement at all times appears shut. But it would not occur.

Relatives reveal each week

Mid-December 2023. Israeli troopers by chance shoot three hostages throughout combating in northern Gaza. The shock in Israel is nice.

Week after week, folks within the cities take to the streets, protesting loudly for a brand new deal. Posters with the names and faces of the abductees hold in every single place. The hostage members and their supporters demand “Bring them Home now!” – Bring her dwelling now.

And they’re more and more criticizing the federal government as a result of no deal is being reached. They accuse Netanyahu of torpedoing the talks with ever new calls for – to make sure his personal political survival and to keep away from the query of the way forward for the Gaza Strip. His ultra-right companions round Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are threatening that the coalition will fail if there may be one other settlement with Hamas.

Biden’s plan would not work

Meanwhile, the Israeli military is advancing into massive components of the densely populated Gaza Strip. First within the north, later additionally within the southern metropolis of Rafah. There are large air strikes and much too little humanitarian assist. Almost the whole inhabitants of the coastal strip is on the run.

May 2024. Israel takes management of the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, a demilitarized zone alongside the border with Egypt. This turns into one other level of rivalry within the negotiations: Israel desires to retain management there even after the struggle. Hamas rejects this.

Also in May, US President Joe Biden made public an Israeli proposal for a hostage deal: a six-week ceasefire can be adopted by a everlasting ceasefire. And lastly, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. “It’s time for this war to end,” Biden says. “And that the ‘day after’ begins.”

The plan would not come to fruition.

Only just a few are freed

8 June 2024. Israel’s military manages to free 4 hostages from Nuseirat within the middle of the Gaza Strip in a large-scale operation. The girl and three males had been kidnapped from the Nova music pageant close to Re’im on October seventh. According to Palestinian data, greater than 200 folks died within the army operation. The quantity can’t be verified. But the stress on Israel’s authorities continues to extend.

Overall, Israel was solely in a position to rescue just a few hostages alive in the course of the struggle. More are recovered lifeless from the Gaza Strip.

20. August 2024. During an operation in Khan Yunis, Israeli troopers found the our bodies of six abductees.

The conversations are shifting

1. September 2024. Israeli troopers once more recovered the our bodies of six abductees close to Rafah. According to Israeli sources, the women and men had been stated to have been alive shortly earlier than the military arrived.

In Tel Aviv and different cities, tens of 1000’s are demonstrating for a deal to carry the remaining hostages dwelling. Around 100 are nonetheless held captive within the Gaza Strip. However, it’s unclear what number of of them are nonetheless alive.

16 October 2024. Hamas chief Jihia Sinwar is shot within the head by the Israeli military close to Rafah. The loss of life of the mastermind of the bloodbath on October seventh provides many individuals in Israel hope {that a} deal is now doable after months of stalled negotiations.

In the next weeks, the discussions truly appear to be shifting. There are conferences with mediators in Doha and Cairo.

Agreement on settlement

Hamas is more and more weakened after the continuing combating. Just like the large supporter Iran, after the Assad regime was overthrown in Syria – and the allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire with Israel.

In January, experiences of an impending breakthrough in negotiations started to emerge – greater than a 12 months after the final settlement.

Am 15 January 2025 Several media shops report that Israel and Hamas have reached an settlement. In the primary section of a ceasefire, 33 Israeli hostages are to be launched inside six weeks in change for Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, additional phases and the discharge of additional hostages will probably be negotiated.

According to Israeli data, 98 hostages are nonetheless being held within the Gaza Strip at the moment. How lots of them are nonetheless alive is unclear.