Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to sabotage a potential ceasefire and hostage deal in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Hamas stated that there is no need for new ceasefire proposals for Gaza and pressure should be put on Israel to agree to a US plan that Hamas had already accepted. Netanyahu is facing pressure from within Israel to seal a deal that would free remaining hostages after six bodies were recovered from a Gaza tunnel. Hamas claimed that Netanyahu was trying to prolong the conflict for his own gain by insisting that Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza. The issue has become a major obstacle in the negotiations between the two sides.
In other developments, there were reports of five people being killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tubas, the UK government defending its partial suspension of arms exports to Israel, the US announcing criminal charges against Hamas leaders, and the UN agency for Palestinians rolling out a polio vaccine campaign in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry reported that at least 40,861 people have been killed in the war, which is approaching its 12th month. The US has called for a final agreement between Israel and Hamas, while an Israeli far-right minister has pressured Netanyahu to end negotiations for a ceasefire aimed at securing the release of hostages. Additionally, there have been reports of heavy destruction and casualties in Gaza due to ongoing Israeli strikes.
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