The truce in Gaza will expire in one hour: There remains little sign of an agreement between Hamas and Israel to extend the temporary ceasefire into a second week, despite Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators pushing hard for a longer truce. The two sides are reportedly unable to agree on which hostages should be released, how many should be freed, and how long the truce should remain in effect for. The absence of an agreement will mean that Israel will likely resume its bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza in the coming hours.
The latest: Israel’s war cabinet was reported to be meeting in the early hours of this morning to discuss options, ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will reportedly press officials to agree to extend the truce.
On the final day of the ceasefire: Hamas freed 16 hostages in exchange for the release of another 30 Palestinians yesterday. Sixty Israelis, 210 Palestinians, and 21 foreign nationals have been released since the truce began on Friday. More than 40 of the hostages taken from Israel into Gaza are reported to not currently be held by Hamas, but by other groups or individuals.
Internal Israeli pressure to resume fighting: As yesterday’s hostages were released and talk emerged of male hostages being released in the next swap, far-right ministers in the Israeli cabinet warned Netanyahu that his coalition government would be jeopardized if he attempted a more ambitious prisoner swap. A few days prior, Netanyahu reportedly told Biden that the Israeli public would not accept a halt to the military operation in response to pressure from the US president to reduce the intensity of its air campaign in south Gaza.
Three hostages in Gaza may have been killed in an Israeli airstrike: The youngest hostage, a 10-month-old baby, was killed along with his brother and mother during an Israeli airstrike, Hamas claimed yesterday. The IDF said yesterday that it was assessing the claim.
WAR ECONOMICS- Saudi Arabia is offering investment if Iran reels in its proxies: Saudi Arabia has proposed deepening its ties with Iran and making investments in exchange for the country keeping its regional proxies out of the Israel-Gaza war, writes Bloomberg, citing Arab and Western officials close to the matter. The kingdom has reportedly been trying to limit Iran’s involvement in the war since the beginning of the conflict to prevent Iran-aligned armed groups in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen from turning the war into a regional conflict, according to the outlet.
Remember: Saudi Arabia and Iran this year agreed to restore full diplomatic relations for the first time in almost a decade in a surprise China-brokered pact.
AID- Jordan is hosting a meeting today to coordinate humanitarian aid in Gaza.