Middle East conflict live updates: Hamas response to truce deal includes freeing hostages, full IDF withdrawal

Middle East conflict live updates: Hamas response to truce deal includes freeing hostages, full IDF withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israeli officials on Wednesday to discuss a possible deal to release the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in return for an extended pause in fighting. A Hamas official confirmed on Wednesday that the group’s latest response to a cease-fire proposal included hostage releases in three phrases, an initial 45-day pause in fighting and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Here’s what to know:

• Blinken said he would discuss Hamas’s response with top Israeli officials on Wednesday, on his fifth visit to the region since the war in Gaza began. He is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and top defense officials, as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
• Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said. One exploded, causing minor damage to a Greek-owned bulk carrier, and another was intercepted by U.S. forces. The others hit the water with no impact on nearby ships.
• At least 27,585 people have been killed and 66,978 injured in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

3:24 AM: Hamas responds with multistage cease-fire proposal including Israeli withdrawal

Hamas is proposing hostage releases in three phases and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, according to a draft of the Hamas response to cease-fire mediation efforts published by the Hezbollah-aligned newspaper al-Akhbar and verified to The Washington Post by a Hamas official.

The initial hostage release phase would include a 45-day pause in fighting, during which some Israeli nonmilitary hostages would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased aid. The document also calls for the reconstruction of hospitals and refugee camps, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from “populated” areas of Gaza during this phase.

The second phase would see the release of all male Israeli hostages in exchange for the complete withdrawal of Israel forces from Gaza. And during the final phase, the bodies of hostages killed after being taken to Gaza will be exchanged.

Diplomatic and public pressure has been building on Hamas and Israel for weeks to reach a deal that would release the remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza. Qatar announced Tuesday that Hamas had responded to the draft hostage release proposal. Qatar has been the primary mediator between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli negotiators will need to respond to the Hamas proposal before a deal can be reached between the two sides.

By: Susannah George

2:46 AM: Exclusive: Drone that killed U.S. troops in Jordan probably went undetected

A satellite image of the U.S. military outpost known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan.

U.S. forces probably did not detect the approach of the Iranian-made drone that killed three American soldiers last week at a remote base in Jordan, and there was no air defense system on-site capable of shooting it down, the military’s initial assessment of the attack has found.

The early findings, which have not been previously reported, indicate that the drone may have been missed “due to its low flight path,” a U.S. defense official with direct knowledge of the assessment told The Washington Post. Additionally, this person said, the base, known as Tower 22, was not outfitted with weapons that can “kill” aerial threats like drones, and instead relied on electronic warfare systems designed to disable them or disrupt their path to a target.

A common strategy among drone operators and other pilots seeking to minimize or evade radar detection is to fly low to the ground. Another U.S. official affirmed the military’s belief that the drone flew too low to be detected. Both officials, like some others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive and ongoing investigation. Defense officials have stressed that assessments can change as investigators learn more.

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By: Alex Horton, Ellen Nakashima and Samuel Oakford

2:01 AM: House GOP fails to pass Israel package as congressional impasse continues

The U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The Republican-led House on Tuesday failed to pass a bill that sought to provide billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, extending an impasse over how to address some of the United States’ top national security concerns in a Congress increasingly paralyzed by political infighting.

The outcome was 250 to 180 in favor, but the measure required a two-thirds majority to pass.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called a vote on the $17.6 billion legislation, pitching it as a GOP counteroffer to a more sprawling Senate bill that also includes money for Ukraine, Taiwan and U.S. border security. Johnson declared earlier that the Senate measure would be “dead on arrival” should it reach the lower chamber, with many Republicans arguing it does not go far enough to address illegal immigration after former president Donald Trump urged them to oppose it.

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By: Abigail Hauslohner, Marianna Sotomayor and Liz Goodwin

1:15 AM: Hamas responds to hostage proposal in ‘positive’ development, Qatar says

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Diwan Annex in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 6. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

DOHA, Qatar — Hamas has responded to the hostage deal proposed weeks ago by Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Qatar’s prime minister called the response a “positive” development Tuesday.

In a joint news conference in Qatar with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told journalists that “we have received a reply from Hamas with regards to the general framework agreement.”

“The reply includes some comments. In general, it is positive,” he said.

The framework agreement includes a six-week cessation of hostilities and a phased release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. It would amount to the longest pause in fighting since the start of the war and potentially the release of all remaining hostages.

Qatar’s prime minister said that, “given the sensitivity of the circumstances,” he would not elaborate on the details, but he said Qatar has delivered the response to Israel.

Blinken affirmed that “Hamas has responded tonight. We are reviewing that response now.”

The office of the prime minister of Israel put out a statement noting that “Hamas’s reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad. Its details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations.”

A key sticking point has been Hamas’s desire for any hostage deal to result in a permanent cease-fire, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to do as he has vowed to continue fighting until “total victory.” But while the substance of Hamas’s response was not publicized, it appeared to be positive enough for U.S. and Qatari diplomats to raise hopes for the successful conclusion of a deal.

Blinken arrived in Doha as part of his fifth trip to the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October.

On each visit, Blinken has sought to pressure Israel to reduce civilian casualties and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza — objectives that have resulted in very little progress over the past few months.

Journalists asked Blinken pointedly if he was too “nice” to be secretary of state and wasn’t pushing Israel hard enough — a cycle that was making the United States look weak on the world stage.

“I’ll let others speak to my character,” Blinken said. “All I can say is that most people who assume the position that I have the great privilege of assuming now don’t get there by being nice all the time.”

By: John Hudson

1:14 AM: Israeli military says 31 of the hostages taken by Hamas are dead

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that 31 of the hostages taken by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 are dead, revising the public figure upward from 29.

The disclosure comes as negotiations are ongoing between Israel and Hamas — via intermediaries — over a deal for a temporary pause in fighting in exchange for the release of hostages still held in Gaza. The New York Times earlier reported that 32 hostages were dead, citing a confidential military report. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The plight of the hostages — and the fact that the bodies of those who were killed or have died in captivity remain in Gaza — has outraged the Israeli public, as pressure builds on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cease the war to free the captives.

By: Bryan Pietsch