Israel, Palestine Report Progress Towards Gaza Cease-fire

Facts

• Israeli and Palestinian officials reported progress towards a Gaza cease-fire deal on Monday, adding points of difference remain on any such deal that has eluded both sides since fighting broke out in October 2023.^[1]
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told the Knesset on Monday, "I would like to tell you carefully, there is some progress." He said Israel had made "great achievements" militarily on several fronts and that this forced Hamas to soften some of its previous demands.^[2][3]
• About the 96 of 251 hostages that remain in Gaza — including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by Israel Defense Forces — Netanyahu said, "We will continue to act in every way, without respite, until we bring everyone home from enemy territory."^[2]
• This comes after an Egyptian news outlet reported that Israel is demanding the release of 11 hostages in the first round of exchange. Previously, BBC had indicated that the issues are 90% resolved, although the control of the Philadelphi Corridor remains a key point of negotiation.^[4]
• Meanwhile, a Palestinian official with knowledge of the talks told Reuters that progress had been made on some sticking points, though issues such as the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed.^[1]
• The UN has warned that at least 91% of the analyzed population (1.95M) in the Gaza Strip faces acute levels of food insecurity, while 1M children need immediate mental health and psycho-social support.^[5]

Sources: ^[1]Reuters, ^[2]The Times of Israel, ^[3]Al Jazeera, ^[4]Firstpost and ^[5]ReliefWeb.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Reuters. Following fresh mediation efforts from Egypt, Qatar, and the US, both sides have reported progress towards a cease-fire deal, and hopes that the so-far elusive deal will be agreed upon are rising.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The New Arab. This is now a familiar strategy from Israel's Netanyahu — feigning progress in talks before sabotaging them at the last minute. He has no desire to reach a deal before US Pres.-elect Donald Trump comes into office.