Report: US promises to convince Israel to accept brief humanitarian truce

The U.S. has promised to convince Israel’s government to agree to a brief humanitarian truce in the war on Gaza and the discussions are now revolving around what can be done during the proposed pause, informed Palestinian sources quoted Arab and regional capitals as saying.

“The discussions are focusing on an incomplete exchange of civilian captives held by the resistance forces in Gaza in return for the entry of a large quantity of aid into Gaza, including fuel, and helping in addressing the file of those trapped under the rubble,” the sources told al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

“The Ezzeddine al-Qassam Brigades told the movement’s political leadership and others that they will not release any captive soldier unless it is in return for the release of captives from Israeli prisons,” the sources added.

U.S. President Biden meanwhile urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their call on Monday to agree to a three-day pause in the fighting to allow progress in releasing some of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, two U.S. and Israeli officials told U.S. news portal Axios.

“According to a proposal that is being discussed between the U.S., Israel and Qatar, Hamas would release 10-15 hostages and use the three-day pause to verify the identities of all the hostages and deliver a list of names of the people it is holding,” a U.S. official said.

Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that it was ready to release 12 foreign nationals it is holding hostage, but it couldn't because of Israel's airstrikes and ground operation.

The two U.S. and Israeli officials said Netanyahu told Biden he doesn't trust Hamas' intentions and doesn't believe they are ready to agree to a deal regarding the hostages.

He also said that Israel could lose the current international support it has for the operation if the fighting stops for three days, the officials said.

The Israeli official told Axios that part of Netanyahu's reservation is because Hamas attacked a group of Israeli soldiers, kidnapped one of them, and killed several others during a humanitarian pause during the 2014 war.

Biden told reporters later Tuesday that he asked Netanyahu for a pause during their phone call on Monday.