Netanyahu's Largest Coalition Partner Supports Possible Agreement for Hostage Release

The largest coalition partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government stated on Tuesday that it would give "full support" to an agreement expected to be reached in the future for the release of hostages held by Hamas, even if this involves taking "excessive steps" in the Gaza war strategy. This statement from Shas, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party holding 11 out of 120 parliamentary seats, comes as two far-right coalition partners openly oppose such an agreement. Netanyahu is calling for the destruction of Hamas's military and governmental capabilities in Gaza so that the group no longer threatens Israel. Qatar announced on Tuesday that it has presented a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, reflecting the positions stated by U.S. President Joe Biden. Qatar added that this plan is now closer to the positions of both sides. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that there must be a clear position from both sides to achieve a ceasefire agreement. Qatar is mediating for a ceasefire in Gaza. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, criticized Washington and the West's requests for acceptance of Biden's ceasefire proposal, saying, "It seems that it is Hamas that is obstructing the agreement." In statements reported by Hamas media, Abu Zuhri said that Israel is not serious about reaching an agreement in Gaza and continues to maneuver under U.S. cover. Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire from Israel to Hamas to end the war in Gaza, which has left tens of thousands dead and caused a humanitarian crisis. John Kirby, a National Security Council communications advisor at the White House, stated on Sunday that the U.S. expects that if Hamas agrees to the proposed three-phase plan to end the war in Gaza, Israel will also agree to it and say "yes" because this is an "Israeli plan." He emphasized that this is an "Israeli proposal" and said that the proposal was given to Hamas on Thursday night Washington time, and "we are awaiting Hamas's official response. We want to publicly point out that Hamas officials came and welcomed this proposal." On the other hand, according to government statistics, Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining hostages in Gaza have been killed. Of the approximately 250 people that armed Palestinians led by Hamas took to Gaza during the border violence on October 7, many were freed in a November ceasefire, while others (dead or alive) were found by Israeli soldiers. The UN's stance on the violence in Gaza and the West Bank: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed support for the U.S. proposed ceasefire plan to stop the fighting in Gaza, describing the situation in Palestinian Gaza as "beyond catastrophic." He stated that norms and standards related to war have been brutally violated in Gaza and welcomed any initiative that could lead to ending hostilities. The UN Human Rights Office also called on Tuesday for an end to the violence in Israeli-occupied areas of the West Bank, where Israeli security forces and Jewish settlers have killed over 500 Palestinians in that region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. This body stated that Israel has used "unnecessary and disproportionate" force in the occupied West Bank and condemned what it calls systematic denial of medical assistance. Hezbollah states it is not seeking to escalate the war: The deputy leader of Hezbollah Lebanon, the militia group supported by the Islamic Republic, stated on Tuesday that Hezbollah is not seeking to escalate its conflict with Israel but is ready to fight any war imposed on it. Sheikh Naeem Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy leader, told Al Jazeera that "expanding the war" is not the group's decision, but it will fight Israel if war is imposed on it. Violence at the Lebanon-Israel border, ongoing for months, has increased recently. Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it launched a squadron of one-way attack drones at an Israeli military base for the second consecutive day, calling it a response to Israel's deadly attack on Lebanon. These past few months have seen the worst hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah since the 2006 war, forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to flee their homes. This report utilized information from Reuters and ABC News.