19 November 2023 , 21:28
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A deal to release Israeli hostages in Gaza is close, Qatar’s prime minister says.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he is growing in confidence over an agreement, which is understood to involve up to 50 women and children being freed in return for a five-day ceasefire. It is thought they would be released in small groups every 12 hours. There are about 240 hostages.
A senior US official has suggested a ceasefire deal is needed to ensure the delivery of desperately needed aid in Gaza. Brett McGurk, the White House co-ordinator for the Middle East, said it would result in a “massive surge of humanitarian relief”.
A hostage rally was held in Tel Aviv (Getty Images)All 31 surviving premature babies at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza have been evacuated to a maternity unit in Rafah in the southern part of the territory. The World Health Organisation has described al-Shifa hospital as a “death zone”. A medic said they cannot properly care for patients there due to lack of water and electricity.
The 31 babies were evacuated by the Red Crescent working with the UN, which said last night the tots are “clinging to life”. UNICEF has pledged to reunite them with their families where possible. The organisation added: “We are providing medical and baby supplies to hospitals in the southern and middle areas of the Strip, to support approximately 244,000 people, including newborns in other neonatal intensive care units.”
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
UNICEF has called for an immediate ceasefire to enable medical supplies to be delivered. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus paid tribute to the bravery of medics, adding: “Further missions are planned to transport patients and health staff out of al-Shifa, pending guarantees of safe passage.”
UN staff carry premature babies to safety
Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (Thomas Trutschel/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)Hundreds of patients were last night reportedly still at the hospital. Israeli military, who are at the site searching for members of Hamas, have released footage they say shows a 60-yard “terror tunnel” under the building. Israeli officials say troops also found what is thought to be a Hamas command room at the complex.
Meanwhile, 13 people have reportedly been killed in an Israeli air strike on Nuseirat refugee camp. Two more are said to have died in a strike on the city of Khan Yunis. The health ministry says 12,300 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its campaign following Hamas’ massacre of around 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.
About two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have fled their homes. The UN is struggling to provide basic supplies to people sheltering in and around buildings such as schools.
Israel has indicated it plans to attack southern Gaza this week. It has condemned Houthi rebels from Yemen who hijacked a cargo ship with up to 22 crew in the Red Sea. The Bahamian-flagged vessel, the Galaxy Leader, is partly owned by an Israeli tycoon and registered under a British firm. A rally in Tel Aviv has called on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of the hostages.