War

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that Israeli airstrikes killed 50 people and injured 84 in the past 24 hours, marking three new massacres targeting families in the region. This brings the total death toll from the ongoing conflict to 44,758 Palestinians, with 106,134 others wounded since the war began.In related developments, Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday that ceasefire negotiations have advanced significantly. An unnamed source close to the talks revealed that the discussions are now focused on prisoner exchanges, with technical committees from Hamas, Egypt, and Israel working to finalize details. Hamas has provided a preliminary list of prisoners to Egyptian mediators, while Israeli officials are reviewing the names and proposals.The source emphasized that all parties are taking an unprecedentedly serious approach to the negotiations, with oversight from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States.Meanwhile, Hamas negotiators, led by Khalil al-Hayya, visited Cairo on Sunday for discussions with Major General Hassan Rashad, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service. A statement from Hamas indicated that the meeting centered on efforts to end the violence in Gaza and achieve a ceasefire, with the movement expressing its commitment to these goals.In a related development, Steve Witkoff, US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, stated in Abu Dhabi that he hopes the hostages held in Gaza will be freed before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. He also expressed hope for a ceasefire before the same date.