US-led negotiators push for Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal after murder of six hostages

Tel Aviv, Sep 2 (IANS) The US, Qatar and Egypt, which are part of the several rounds of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, are now pushing for a final ceasefire deal.This is following the brutal murder of six of the hostages in Gaza by Hamas militants by firing from close range. Autopsy of the deceased hostages — whose bodies were recovered by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza — have revealed that they were shot multiple times from a close range.According to Israeli media, the US negotiators have communicated to both Qatar and Egyptian negotiators that the ceasefire deal has to be reached quickly.The media has also reported that a final proposal is being drafted for a ceasefire and a hostage return deal between Israel and Hamas.It is to be noted that the US side has a renewed urgency for the mediatory talks as among the six hostages killed one is an Israeli American — Hersh Goldberg-Polin.The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns who had led the American side during the last peace talks at Doha and Cairo has already communicated to the Israeli government for an immediate round of talks and to finalise the proposal.Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal for the release of hostages in the custody of Hamas.Massive protests erupted across Israel after the bodies of the six hostages were found and the Israeli government couldn’t strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas to set the hostages free.Crowds demonstrated in the capital Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities against the administration to bring back the remaining hostages and demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more in the matter.The Hostages and Missing Persons families have been conducting a series of protests across the country for bringing the hostages back.It may be recalled that on October 7, 2023, Hamas militants swarmed into Southern Israel, brutally murdered 1,200 people and took 251 people as hostages. Of these, Israel has confirmed that only 66 are alive.–IANSaal/dpb