Hey there! Have you heard what’s happening between Hamas and Israel lately? Let’s break it down together. 🧩
What’s Going On?
Hamas, a group in Gaza, said on Friday that they are looking at a plan from the United States to stop fighting. This plan is called a “ceasefire proposal.” ✋🕊️ But at the same time, Israel is increasing its strikes on Gaza to pressure Hamas to let go of the people they’ve taken hostage.
The Proposal
The U.S. special envoy, Steve Witkoff, gave Hamas a plan last week. It hopes to make the ceasefire last longer, even through important holidays like Ramadan and Passover. This would give everyone time to talk about stopping the fighting for good.
Taher al-Nunu, a spokesperson for Hamas, said they are thinking about this proposal and some other ideas from different countries to end the conflict. They also want Israel to pull its military out of Gaza completely.
Israel’s Actions
But Israel isn’t slowing down. Over the past few days, Israel has increased its air, land, and sea strikes in Gaza. They say they will keep going until Hamas lets go of all the hostages and is defeated.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said they want to move civilians to the southern part of Gaza to keep them safe.
The U.S. Response
Mike Waltz, the U.S. National Security Advisor, said that Israel has the right to defend itself. He mentioned that the ceasefire could have kept going if Hamas had released all the hostages.
But Hamas disagrees. Taher al-Nunu said that Waltz isn’t telling the full story. According to him, Hamas had clear ideas to stop the fighting and exchange prisoners, but Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, didn’t agree.
What’s Happening Now?
Israel says that their strikes have hurt Hamas a lot this week. They even mentioned that they targeted Osama Tabash, a top Hamas leader. Hamas hasn’t responded to this claim yet.
On the other side, Hamas said they fired a rocket at the city of Ashkelon in Israel as a response to attacks on civilians. Israel said they intercepted two rockets.
Calls for Peace
Germany, France, and Britain asked for everyone to return to a ceasefire right away. They are worried about the civilians getting hurt. They also want Israel to allow things like water and electricity back into Gaza and to let people get medical help.
They believe the fighting can’t solve the problems between Israel and the Palestinians. They think that stopping the fighting for a long time is the only way to find peace. ✌️
(Information from various news agencies)
Reference(s):
Hamas reviews U.S. ceasefire proposal as Israel intensifies strikes
cgtn.com
