The Israel-Hamas war|The negotiations
Netanyahu: We are flexible - but not with everything
Israel is in "complex negotiations" with the aim of getting the hostages home from Gaza, says the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Reuters.
- There are things we can be flexible with and there are things we cannot be flexible with and that we must insist on. We know very well the difference between the two, Netanyahu said, according to the news agency.
Osama Hamdan, spokesman for Hamas, earlier in the day singled out Benjamin Netanyahu as the main person responsible for the failure to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.
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Hamas: Netanyahu blocks ceasefire in Gaza
Hamas has previously said yes to a mediator's proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, but Israel has refused to agree. This is what Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera.
- Everyone now understands that what Hamas has been saying for the past six months is true. Benjamin Netanyahu is and remains the obstacle to peace, says Hamdan.
When pressed by Al Jazeera's reporter on whether there are no concessions that Hamas could make that would enable a truce, he replies "no".
The US and Israel have signaled ahead of next week that a ceasefire may be close, and urged Hamas to agree to the mediators' offer.
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Analysis: Netanyahu has too much to lose from peace
The US wants to establish a positive image that negotiations on a peace agreement in Gaza are moving forward, but those involved are less optimistic, writes Haaretz Amos Harel in an analysis.
The key issue for Netanyahu is about domestic politics, writes Harel.
"Can Netanyahu afford a deal that contains many concessions and risk two radical right-wing parties leaving his coalition?"
The Guardian's Jason Burke writes in an analysis that no ceasefire is imminent as long as both Israel and Hamas feel they have more to gain. By entering into an agreement, Netanyahu risks dissolving his ruling coalition, and if he instead succeeds in killing the new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, it could mean an upswing in public opinion, writes Burke.
Sinwar, for his part, has expressed that the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilians is a "necessary sacrifice" to destroy Israel.
“The key to an agreement would be to find a formula that would enable both Sinwar and Netanyahu to declare victory. It is very difficult, but not completely impossible.”
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The violence in Israel
One dead after explosion - believed to have carried bomb in Tel Aviv
One person has been killed after a bomb exploded in central Tel Aviv, Israeli media reports. Another person is said to have been injured.
According to Haaretz, the police state that the slain man himself was carrying the bomb when it exploded for unknown reasons.
The Shin Bet intelligence service is involved and the police do not rule out the possibility that the incident could be an act of terrorism.
The Times of Israel reports that the body of the slain man is badly injured, making identification difficult.
- We only know that he was not an innocent civilian, but someone who was carrying an explosive device, says a local police chief to the newspaper.
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