Israel-Gaza: Pressure for ceasefire following Trump inauguration

Thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday for the weekly anti-government protest demanding a ceasefire and a deal to return hostages from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office announced the decision Saturday. It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Qatar’s capital, Doha, site of the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

His presence means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved.

Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war, and that occurred in the earliest weeks of fighting.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.

Israel launched air and ground operations have killed over 46,000 people in the Strip since October 2023 according to Gaza’s health ministry that does not distinguish between civilians and militants but said that at least half of the killed are children and women.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it says militants operate in residential areas.