Israel says no ceasefire in Gaza, only temporary halt in some bombings

JERUSALEM: An Israeli government spokesperson said on Sunday (Oct 5) that there was no ceasefire in place in Gaza, only a temporary halt in certain bombings.

The military can continue to act in Gaza for defensive purposes, Shosh Bedrosian said.

This came after Hamas on Friday accepted certain key parts of a United States peace plan that won Israel's support earlier. 

The components of the 20-point proposal that the militant group agreed to included ending the war, Israel's withdrawal and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.

However, it left some issues subject to further negotiation, as well as questions unanswered, such as whether it would be willing to disarm, a key demand from Israel to end the war.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the war in Gaza had not yet ended despite Israel and Hamas both agreeing to parts of the plan. 

"We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics," Rubio told NBC News' Meet the Press about the release of hostages from Gaza.

Negotiators are due to hold talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope that hostages held in Gaza could be released within days.

Netanyahu said on Saturday he had instructed negotiators to go to Egypt "to finalise the technical details", while Cairo confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on "the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners".

Egyptian state-linked media said the two parties would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday, just before the second anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.

The White House said US President Donald Trump had sent two envoys to Egypt – his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

HAMAS CALLS FOR HALT

"During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is essential for Israel to halt military operations across all areas of the Gaza Strip, cease all air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and withdraw from inside Gaza City," a Palestinian source close to Hamas said.

"In parallel with the cessation of Israeli military activity, Hamas and the resistance factions will also halt their military operations and actions," he added.

The group on Sunday also called for a swift start to the hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel.

"Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions," a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

According to Trump's plan, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after Oct 7, 2023.

An official briefed on the talks said the negotiations will focus on hammering out a comprehensive deal before a ceasefire can be implemented.

"This differs from earlier rounds of negotiations, which followed a phased approach, where the first phase was agreed and then required more negotiations to reach subsequent phases in the ceasefire," the official told Reuters.

"These subsequent rounds of negotiations are where things broke down previously and there is a conscious effort among mediators to avoid that approach this time around."

Rubio told ABC's This Week that a timeline for finalising a deal to release the hostages was uncertain but that talks "cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast".

Trump has warned he would "not tolerate delay" from Hamas, urging the group to move quickly towards a deal "or else all bets will be off".

The US president said on Truth Social that Israel had agreed to an initial line of withdrawal in Gaza and that this had been shared with Hamas.

"When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," he posted, alongside a map of the proposed line.

STRIKES CONTINUE

Despite Trump calling on Israel to halt its bombings, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza.

AFPTV footage showed thick smoke billowing into the skyline over the coastal territory on Sunday.

Gaza civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least five people in Gaza City in the morning, after several attacks through the night.

On Saturday, nearly 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including 40 in Gaza City alone, the agency reported.

"The decision to occupy Gaza, the collapse of multi-storey buildings, and the intensity of IDF operations in the city have led to the evacuation of roughly 900,000 residents to the south, creating immense pressure on Hamas and the countries that support it," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a speech on Sunday.

The United Nations had estimated that around 1 million people were living in the area before the start of the assault.

A resident in Gaza City said that there had been a noticeable decrease in the number of air strikes since the night before. 

"The tanks and military vehicles have slightly pulled back, but I believe this is a tactical move, not a withdrawal," said Muin Abu Rajab, 40, a resident of Al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City.