Efforts to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as Hezbollah, stalled on Friday, as Israeli airstrikes left at least 64 dead in Gaza, according to Palestinian medics, and struck southern Beirut suburbs.
US envoys had been attempting to broker a ceasefire on both fronts before the US presidential election next Tuesday. However, according to Al-Aqsa Hamas television on Friday, Hamas opposed a temporary truce, stating the proposals failed to meet their conditions, which included ending the year-long conflict in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that his primary focus remains on security “despite any pressure or constraints.” His office stated he communicated this stance to US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk during their visit to Israel on Thursday. Israel continued its offensives against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Medics in Gaza reported around 64 deaths and numerous injuries following strikes on Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat camp, and Al-Zawayda in Gaza’s central region and south. Fourteen people were reported killed in an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat, with another 10 killed in a vehicle in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military reported its forces had killed what they described as armed terrorists in central Gaza and Jabalia in the north but did not comment on the school incident, while typically denying any deliberate attacks on civilians.
In Beirut, Israel launched at least ten airstrikes on southern suburbs for the first time in nearly a week, following Israel’s evacuation orders for ten neighborhoods. Hassan Saad, in Beirut, told reporters,
“This is a brutal war and Israel does not have the right to do this… There must be a limit put for Israel because it does not abide by any of the laws or human morality.”
Another resident, Ali Ramadan, suggested that the airstrikes were intended to apply pressure on Lebanon during ceasefire discussions.
Prospects for a ceasefire have diminished as the US election on November 5 approaches. Hamas television cited a senior figure stating the proposed ceasefire terms failed to include a lasting halt to hostilities, withdrawal from Gaza, or the return of displaced people. Additional conditions called for security measures, relief, reconstruction, and unrestricted border access, alongside an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in Gaza.
On Thursday, Netanyahu addressed newly graduated troops, saying,
“Agreements, documents, proposals are not the main point. The main point is our ability and determination to enforce security, thwart attacks against us and act against the arming of our enemies, as necessary and despite any pressure and constraints.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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