Another truce extension on the table?

Another truce extension in the works? Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani held talks with the heads of the CIA and Mossad over the possibility of extending the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel for another three days. CIA head William Burns reportedly pushed for the next hostage swap to include men and militants, who have been excluded from previous hostage releases.

The ceasefire continued to hold for a fifth day yesterday despite the two sides trading blame for a series of explosions in northern Gaza. Day five of the prisoner exchange saw Hamas release a total of 13 hostages, while Israel freed 30 Palestinians. The four-day ceasefire was extended for an additional 48 hours yesterday and will now end on Thursday morning, thanks to a pact brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

Israel might be releasing some Palestinians — but it’s arresting even more: Israel has released 150 Palestinians since the truce entered into force but have arrested 168 in the West Bank during the same period.

The US is trying to rein in Israel ahead of its expected onslaught on south Gaza: The Biden administration is reportedly urging Israel to refrain from carpet bombing south Gaza in the manner it did in the north, and instead use more precision to target Hamas operatives. Senior US officials told the Associated Press that the administration is telling the Israelis to avoid “significant further displacement” when it resumes its military campaign in a few days.

Precision isn’t Israel’s MO: The Israeli military has been open about its aim to inflict as much destruction on Gaza as possible, with spokesperson Daniel Hagari saying early on in the conflict that “ the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy. ” The devastating air campaign has led to the displacement of 1.7 mn of the territory’s 2.3-mn population, and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the north.

AID- French hospital ship docks in Egypt, prepares to start treating Gazans this week | US aidarrives | UN wants second border crossing to open to accelerate aid delivery | EU: Israel not letting enough fuel into Gaza.

The lack of aid has caused a surge in disease outbreaks. WHO has warned that more people could die from disease than from bombing in Gaza as long as the healthcare system remains unfunctional. A WHO official also pointed to the lack of clean water and sufficient sustenance to the spike in disease — Gaza currently faces a real risk of famine.

DIPLO- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel should be tried in international courts for its war crimes in Gaza.