Hamas agrees to release hostages - no breakthrough yet

The terrorist organization announced that it had agreed to release ten hostages in the ongoing indirect negotiations. However, the issue of the provision of aid, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and "real guarantees for a lasting ceasefire" are still being negotiated.

Trump on Gaza deal: perhaps next week too

The US government had recently expressed its hope for a ceasefire by the end of this week - but President Donald Trump now believes that next week is also possible. When asked by a journalist how realistic he thought a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was, the Republican said: "I think we have a chance this week - or next week." Trump had met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice in Washington in recent days and discussed Gaza.

Rocket alert in Israel again

Meanwhile, there was another missile alert in Israel in the early morning. According to the Israeli army, another missile fired from Yemen was intercepted. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Houthi militia in Yemen has repeatedly attacked Israel and merchant ships with an alleged connection to Israel. Their declared aim is to support Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Houthis in Yemen sink another ship

According to US reports, the militia sank the merchant ship "Eternity C" in the Red Sea, killing people in the process. The exact number is unclear. In addition, "many surviving crew members" were arrested, according to a message from the US diplomatic mission in Yemen on X. "We call for their immediate and unconditional release." The Huthi, who are allied with Iran like Hamas, announced that several crew members of the ship had been "rescued" and taken to a "safe place".

Meanwhile, the war in the sealed-off Gaza Strip continues. According to Palestinian reports, several people were again killed in Israeli air strikes. Four Palestinians were killed and around 20 injured when a residential building in the city of Gaza in the north of the coastal region was hit, according to medical sources. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, a small child was among the dead. Israel's army did not initially comment on this when asked.

Reports of further deaths in Gaza

According to Wafa, eleven people were killed and others injured in another attack in the city. Once again, the house of a family was hit. The Israeli army said on request that it had encountered members of Hamas in the area during the attack that night. The military had taken measures before the attack to protect the civilian population. Wafa also reported further deadly attacks in the coastal strip. None of the information could initially be independently verified.

Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul plans to meet his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Vienna today to discuss Gaza and the Iranian nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Israel's army has announced that it has begun converting the town of Beit Hanun in northern Gaza. "The troops are deployed to eliminate terrorists and destroy the terrorist infrastructure and the military capabilities of Hamas in the area." This could not be verified either. Five Israeli soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Beit Hanun on Monday.

Alleged progress in negotiations

In response to a report by the US news website "Axios", according to which progress was made in talks between senior representatives of the USA, Israel and Qatar at the White House on Tuesday with regard to an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, US President Trump said: "We want to have a ceasefire, we want to have peace, we want to get the hostages back. And I think we're close to achieving that." According to "Axios", the meeting in the White House was about the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops during the ceasefire, which was causing disagreement.

As a result of the meeting, Israel later presented a map of the situation in which a more extensive withdrawal of its troops was shown than in a previously presented map. This represented significant progress in the talks and increased the chances of a deal, reported "Axios", citing a source familiar with the matter.

Hamas wants to continue negotiations "seriously"

Despite the current difficulties in the negotiations "due to Israel's intransigence", Hamas is "continuing to work seriously and positively with the mediators to overcome the obstacles", Hamas explained in a message on Telegram. Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in Washington that neither he nor US President Trump would agree to an agreement "at any price".

He and Trump have a common goal, Netanyahu said. "I want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end the rule of Hamas in Gaza. We want to ensure that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel," said the Israeli head of government in the US Capitol. According to Israeli information, at least 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza. In addition, there are the bodies of 28 abductees.