Sawt Falasteen - Israel, Hamas defiant as US presses for ceasefire

Netanyahu's visit to Washington -- his third since Trump returned as US president in January -- came as Doha hosted discussions between the two sides on a possible halt to 21 months of fighting and a hostage release deal.

The indirect talks began on Sunday and have not yet seen any agreement but Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said he was still hopeful of a ceasefire deal.

"The release of all of our hostages -- the living and the deceased, and the elimination of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, thereby ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said after meeting Trump for a second time in 24 hours.

"We focused on the efforts to release our hostages," he said.

"We are not relenting, even for a moment, and this is made possible due to the military pressure by our heroic soldiers."

Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza, said in a statement it would never give up.

"Gaza will not surrender... and the resistance will impose the conditions, just as it imposed the equations," it added.

- 'Mostly listening' -

A Palestinian official close to the talks blamed Israel for a lack of progress after the latest round of discussions broke up late Tuesday with no breakthrough.

"The current round of negotiations in Doha between Hamas and Israel is still stalling due to the Israeli delegation's refusal to accept the free entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," he said.

Another Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations said the Israeli delegation was "mostly listening rather than negotiating, which reflects Netanyahu's ongoing policy of obstruction and sabotaging any potential agreement".

Witkoff, however, was more upbeat, in line with the US leader who has pushed for a ceasefire deal.

"We are hopeful that by end of this week we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire," Witkoff said.

The deal would include the return of 10 live hostages held by Palestinian militant groups since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, and nine dead hostages, Witkoff added.

Of 251 hostages seized during attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Hamas has refused pushes to release all the hostages, demanding an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel wants to ensure militants in Gaza never again pose a threat to its security.

Qatari mediators had warned on Monday that it would take time to seal a deal, though Trump kept up his push to reach an agreement.

"It's a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to," Trump told reporters, in reference to Netanyahu and Hamas.

Asked earlier as he met US House speaker Mike Johnson if a ceasefire announcement was imminent, Netanyahu replied: "We're certainly working on it."

- 'Like an earthquake' -

On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency on Wednesday said 20 people, including at least six children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes overnight.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report when contacted by AFP.

"The explosion was massive, like an earthquake," said Zuhair Judeh, 40, who witnessed one of the strikes.

"It destroyed the house and several nearby homes. The bodies and remains of the martyrs were scattered," he added, calling it "a horrific massacre".

Due to restrictions imposed on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties accessing the area, AFP is unable to independently verify the death tolls and details shared by the parties involved.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,575 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.

An Israeli group of legal experts on Tuesday accused Hamas of using sexual violence as "part of a genocidal scheme" during its 2023 attack.

Hamas, it said, "used sexual violence as a tactical weapon, as part of a genocidal scheme and with the goal of terrorising and dehumanising Israeli society".

The militant group has categorically denied allegations of using sexual violence, without providing evidence to support its claims.

S.Barghouti--SF-PST