Israel on Monday announced the deaths of four captives held in Gaza amid growing doubts and international pressure over a plan for a ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden.
Biden on Friday presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the bloody conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stressed that the war sparked by the October 7 attack would continue until all of Israel’s “goals are achieved”, including the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.
And on Monday, the White House said Biden told the emir of mediator Qatar that he saw Hamas as “the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire” in Gaza, and urged him to press the group to accept it.
The G7 group of developed countries said in a statement its leaders “fully endorse” the deal pushed by Biden and called on Hamas to accept it.
Israel’s military announced the deaths in Gaza of four hostages seized on October 7, naming them as Chaim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper and Nadav Popplewell.
British foreign minister David Cameron said he was “greatly saddened to hear about the death” of Israeli-British Popplewell, adding: “we reiterate our demand for Hamas to send all hostages home”.
All but Popplewell were seen alive in a video released by Hamas in December.
Separately, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “We assess that the four of them were killed while together in the area of Khan Yunis during our operation there against Hamas.”
Earlier on Monday, the army said it had located in Israel the body of paramedic Dolev Yehud, who had been thought to be a hostage but was killed on October 7.
Israeli media have questioned to what extent Biden’s ceasefire speech and some crucial details were coordinated with Netanyahu’s team, including how long any truce would hold and how many captives would be freed and when.
Hamas on Friday said it viewed Biden’s outline “positively” but has since made no official comment on the stalled negotiations, while mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have not announced any new talks.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt issued a statement on Monday backing the latest diplomatic effort.
They “emphasised the importance of dealing seriously and positively with the US president’s proposal”, which could produce “a permanent ceasefire… and an end to the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip”, the joint statement said.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer quoted Netanyahu as saying that the outline Biden presented was only “partial”, and that under the plan, fighting would only stop temporarily “for the purpose of returning the hostages”.
However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday said the White House has “seen again over the weekend from Israel a willingness to step forward and do a deal”.
And State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the proposal was “nearly identical” to one submitted several weeks ago by Hamas and called on its leader, Yahya Sinwar, not to “move the goalposts”.
