HOSTAGES FOR CEASEFIRE?Īl-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, posted an audio recording on its Telegram channel saying the group was ready to release some of the hostages it took in exchange for a five-day ceasefire, an offer Israel is unlikely to embrace. Israel says Hamas hospitals serve as military facilities and Israel's military on Monday released video and photos of what it said were weapons the group stored in the basement of Rantissi hospital, a pediatric hospital specializing in cancer treatment. Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people have been confirmed killed, around 40% of them children. Israel has ordered the evacuation of the northern half of Gaza. Since then thousands of Gazans have been killed and two-thirds of the population have been made homeless by an Israeli military campaign. Israel launched its campaign last month to annihilate Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip and that is officially dedicated to the destruction of Israel, after Hamas gunmen rampaged through southern Israel killing civilians.Īround 1,200 people died in that attack and 240 were dragged to Gaza as hostages according to Israel's tally.
