Hamas tells world powers ceasefire in Gaza is a must for any deal

More bodies were recovered from mass graves at Nasser hospital in Gaza

Summary

By Edna Mohamed, Joseph Stepansky and Nils Adler

• Hamas responds to a letter signed by 18 world powers urging captives’ release, says it is open to proposals that address permanent ceasefire, “basic rights” of Palestinians.
• The eastern part of Rafah is under constant artillery shelling as a senior Israeli official says the military is “moving ahead” with its planned ground invasion, ignoring a growing chorus of international warnings to call it off.
• Students and faculty members at US universities continue to protest in solidarity with Palestinians, with similar demonstrations also spreading in Europe and other countries.
• The UN chief’s spokesperson says it is “important that all forensic evidence be well preserved” from Gaza’s mass graves, but that a mandate from a UN legislative group is required to allow the world body to take legal possession of such material.
• A Beijing-based diplomat told Reuters that China will host Palestinian peace talks between Hamas and its rival Fatah.
• A director at Gaza’s Civil Defence said it had finished exhuming bodies from the mass graves at Nasser Medical Complex.
• The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five civilians were killed this evening by Israeli bombardments of the central and southern Gaza Strip.
• US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he sees fresh momentum in talks to pause the fighting in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli captives.
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that presiding Judge Nawaf Salam will read out the ruling on Nicaragua’s case against Germany at 13:00 GMT on Tuesday.
• Reports have emerged that the US’s Biden administration was pressured by Israel to put on hold its sanctions on Israeli Netzah Yehuda Battalion

Al Jazeera