Jakarta (ANTARA) - Israel'sgenocidal war in Gaza, Palestine, today, January 15, 2025, has entered its 466th day since the start of the attack on October 7, 2023.
The war has killed a total of 46,707 Palestinians, following the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza that killed more than 62 people in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data in the enclave on Wednesday.
While Israeli attacks continue, the latest developments in the situation indicate that mediation efforts are being made by Egypt, the United States (US), and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Here is some information you need to know about the progress of efforts to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, quoted from various sources.
1. Biden urges Netanyahu to agree to ceasefire in Gaza
US President Joe Biden on Sunday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza through ongoing talks in the Qatari capital Doha.
"He (Biden) pressed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of hostages and the surge in humanitarian aid that would be possible with the cessation of hostilities under the deal, the White House said in a statement.
Last week, Biden told reporters that "some progress" was being made in efforts to negotiate the return of the hostages.
He hopes his government will succeed in mediating a deal before his term ends on January 20.
Negotiations on a hostage exchange and ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, have stalled several times due to new conditions imposed by Netanyahu.
2. Hamas ready to sign ceasefire
Quoted from the Russian News Agency Sputnik on Monday (13/1), the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas was reportedly ready to sign an initial ceasefire agreement with Israel in the next few days before Donald Trump officially becomes President of the United States on January 20, 2025.
According to a report by the EFE news agency on Monday (13/1), citing a number of sources, ceasefire negotiations in Doha were ongoing intensively to ensure that an agreement on the main points, namely the exchange of Palestinian and Israeli hostages, was reached.
According to a draft agreement discussed in the negotiations, in the first phase of the proposed agreement, Hamas would release 34 Israeli hostages in exchange for a month and a half ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of about a thousand Palestinian prisoners.