Hope for new ceasefire in Gaza war – overnight update Lufthansa records higher domestic demand due to railway strikes

As the Israeli army takes increasing action against Islamist Hamas in southern Gaza, mediators in the war are trying to find a new ceasefire. Hopes have grown for a possible new deal to free Israeli hostages from Hamas violence in exchange for a longer break in fighting, The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, renewed mutual shelling took place between the Israeli army and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia on Israel’s border with Lebanon. The US military in turn responded with a counterattack to an attack by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.

Hamas is reportedly open to talks on the release of hostages

According to a media report, Hamas has expressed openness to negotiations for the release of some Israeli hostages. The Islamists have told mediators they are willing to discuss the release of the female civilians and children in exchange for a “significant” ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing Egyptian officials. During a week-long ceasefire in late November last year, Hamas released 105 hostages. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons.

Hamas has so far linked any further hostage releases to an end to the war. According to information from the Israeli government, terrorists are still holding about 130 people they kidnapped from Israel to the Gaza Strip during their attack on October 7. Among them are Israeli soldiers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Israeli government believes that 105 hostages are still alive and that many of them are being held in Hamas’s underground tunnel network.

According to information from the news portal Axios, Israel has proposed a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages. The offer was presented to mediators from Egypt and Qatar, who are currently trying to bridge the gap between the different demands. While the latest development is positive, it does not mean an agreement is imminent, the Wall Street Journal wrote. Egyptian officials say the talks could still fail.

Guterres criticizes Netanyahu

Meanwhile, before the UN Security Council on Tuesday, UN Secretary General António Guterres criticized the rejection of a two-state solution by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the government. “This rejection and denial of the Palestinian people’s right to statehood would indefinitely prolong this conflict, which has become a major threat to world peace and security,” he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also spoke out in New York in favor of a two-state solution and also criticized Netanyahu’s negative attitude on the issue. At the same time, he called for the release of all hostages and a ceasefire.

Israel’s Army: More than 100 terrorists killed in Khan Yunis

Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it has killed dozens more terrorists in the Khan Yunis area of ​​southern Gaza Strip. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that more than a hundred terrorists were “eliminated” in the west of the city on Tuesday. The information could not initially be independently verified. The army said it had surrounded the city, considered a Hamas stronghold, the day before. Israel suspects that Hamas leaders and Israeli hostages are there in underground tunnels.

The war was sparked by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which Hamas terrorists and other extremist groups carried out in southern Israel on October 7. They killed 1,200 people. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. More than 25,000 people have been killed so far, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The number can hardly be independently verified.

The US military responds with a counterattack to the attack in Iraq

Meanwhile, the US military is carrying out airstrikes on three facilities in Iraq that would be used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq, as the US military’s responsible regional command announced on Platform X on Wednesday night . A few days ago, fighters fired rockets at the Ain Al-Assad base.

The Gaza war has made the security situation tense throughout the region. US forces – Israel’s main ally – are also in the crosshairs of pro-Iranian militias. Iran wants to use them to create an ‘axis of resistance’ against Israel. In recent weeks they have stepped up their attacks on US bases in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Another firefight on Israel’s border with Lebanon

Meanwhile, fighting broke out again on Tuesday at the Israel-Lebanon border. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that Israeli fighter jets had “attacked terrorist targets and destroyed a key military facility used by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and also operated by Iranian forces” in the northern neighbor. The army spokesman did not provide further details.

What will be important on Wednesday

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is expected for talks in Israel. He wanted to express his concern about the large number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip and commit to a permanent ceasefire, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also wants to hold talks in the Middle East. Rallies are planned in Beirut, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah. (sda/dpa)