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It appears that the coming hours and days will be a nail-biter as Israel ratchets up its military campaign in southern Gaza while simultaneously trying to negotiate a hostage release deal. At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials maintain that the Gaza war will not end with any such deal.
Negotiators from the United States, Israel, Qatar and Egypt met in Paris over the last few days to work on what appears to be a complicated and comprehensive deal that will include a cessation of violence in Gaza, a gradual release of Israeli hostages in the Strip and Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and a robust infusion of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Israel's deepening push in southern Gaza
Israeli troops, while continuing to suffer casualties, are pushing hard on the ground in Khan Younis, but a salvo of rockets fired by militants in southern Gaza on the Tel Aviv metropolitan area Sunday night appeared to be aimed at sending a strong message that Hamas remains able to fight.
