Israel Reluctant To Consider A Ceasefire Proposal Approved By Hamas

JAKARTA - Israel was unwilling to consider a ceasefire proposal for Hamas-approved Gaza, a Qatar mediator said on Tuesday, while Israelis staged protests to pressure their government to accept the deal and secure the release of hostages in the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has yet to respond to the proposal, which states that about half of the remaining 50 hostages will be released during the 60-day ceasefire. Instead, Israel continues its plans to expand military operations in Gaza.

"The decision now rests with Israel, which does not appear willing to reach an agreement," Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a news conference.

"We call on the international community to pressure Israel," Al Ansari added, adding Israel's escalation on the ground would not produce positive results.

Meanwhile, Israelis demonstrated on Tuesday in a mob against the government's plan to seize Gaza's main city. Critics say the military operation will be fatal to Palestinian civilians and Israeli prisoners.

The demonstrators blocked the highway and demonstrated outside the ministers' homes at the start of the protests that would culminate at a demonstration at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, protesters marched towards the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, where the security cabinet convenes. The demonstrators demanded full release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement.

At the forefront of the demonstration, members of the Hashomer Hatzair socialist youth movement held a banner reading: "We are one step away from total destruction," referring to concerns that the government will thwart the proposed hostage-taking deal, quoted from The Times of Israel.

Police surrounded the demonstrators and blocked the road in one direction so that the march could continue.

"First of all, first of all, human life is above all else," the protesters shouted as they lined up on the street, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies of "letting the hostages."

The demonstration took place when the security cabinet convened at the Prime Minister's Office to approve the next phase of the IDF operation to take over Gaza City.

Hebrew-language media reported that the cabinet would not discuss a gradual ceasefire and the agreement to release the hostages Hamas said had been received last week.

A forum representing most of Israel's hostages' families said the report was "very disappointing".

"The government does not have a public mandate to continue this prolonged conflict while our loved ones remain in love. There is only one answer: people fill the way until everyone goes home," the statement reads.

Polls show the majority of Israelis prefer the deal to release hostages rather than continue a military campaign against Hamas which has killed more than 62,800 Palestinians.

There are also signs of increasingly severe fatigue among Israeli reserve forces, anger among military leaders over plans to expand fighting, and fears that the escalating war will bring Israel into unprecedented global isolation and condemnation.

However, Israel's far-right coalition continues to support military pressure, with many accusing PM Netanyahu of extending the war to secure his political future.

Speaking at Hostages Square, Democratic Knesset member Gilad Kariv said only public pressure and protests could repatriate the hostages.

"Without a protest for the hostages, there will be no two deals," Kariv told the public, referring to the previous two ceasefires that managed to free many hostages.

"We will not give up. We will shake up this country, end the war, and bring everyone home," he said.

The hostages' families also submitted a request to United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning, saying: "President Trump, you have stated that in the next two to three weeks there will be a conclusive end to war. We pray that this is true and you give a deadline to end our suffering."