THE US has denied that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages with the help of Washington’s mediation.
“We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal,” White House National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Washington Post had earlier reported that Israel and Hamas had come to a tentative agreement after the US acted as a middleman in negotiations between the two sides.
Earlier, reports said Israel and Hamas were close to reaching an agreement for the release of dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day ceasefire.
More than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 8,300 women and children, as of yesterday, with over 30,000 others injured.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh was quoted as saying that Palestinians will not accept Israel’s attempts to occupy Gaza or separate it from the West Bank.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli tanks surrounded the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the north of Gaza and teams could not reach the wounded in the area, reported Anadolu Agency.
According to a statement by the Internal Affairs Ministry in Gaza, Israeli helicopters and planes attacked houses in Khan Younis and Rafah in the south of Gaza.
The government in Gaza announced that more than 7,000 displaced people, patients, and medical staff at the Al-Shifa Hospital, besieged by Israel, are facing death because of a lack of water and food.
“There is no water, food or milk for children in the Al-Shifa Hospital, where 650 patients and approximately 7,000 displaced people are sheltered,” said the government’s media office.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, the Israeli army raided the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the north of the West Bank with dozens of military vehicles. In attacks by Israeli soldiers on the Jenin refugee camp, three Palestinians were killed, and nine were injured.
There were scores of deaths and injuries from an Israeli air strike Friday that targeted the central and southern parts of Gaza.
Continuing restrictions around the Al-Aqsa complex, Israeli police prevented Palestinians from performing Friday prayers in the mosque, the Anadolu Agency reported.
Israeli forces also detained 47 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“Israeli forces continued detention raids against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” said the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club. “The number of Palestinians detained in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7 reached 2,800.” – The Vibes, November 19, 2023
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